June is finally underway, and Paramount+ has outlined all it has in store for U.S. subscribers this month. The first month of the summer is slated to be a doozie, with UFC at the White House, a spectacle that’s sure to be, er, interesting, some dark and mysterious documentaries, and a new season of the Michael Fassbender spy series The Agency on tap.
But you came here looking for movies, and with 92 new titles added as of June 1, there’s lots to choose from. For this week, I’ve pulled four critically-acclaimed gems with something for everyone, including a rough-around-the-edges bachelor who’s playing parent, a black-and-white indie that launched a career, a classic barnyard tale, and a gripping crime thriller starring Harrison Ford. These movies span four decades, and each one is a winner.
4
Uncle Buck
John Candy is the greatest uncle in history
The late, lovable Canadian comedy legend John Candy made several quintessential movies with the great John Hughes, and Uncle Buck is hands-down my favorite (sorry, Planes, Trains and Automobiles). The 1989 comedy follows Buck Russell (Candy), an unemployed, gambling bachelor, who’s called upon by his older, successful brother to watch his three kids when a family emergency comes up. While Buck wins over the two adorable youngest, Miles (Macaulay Culkin) and Maizy (Gaby Hoffmann), it’s rebellious teenager Tia (Jean Louisa Kelly) who gives Buck his biggest test.
A pre-Home Alone Culkin gives Candy a run for his money in this must-watch comedy, stealing every scene he’s in—his rapid-fire interrogation is well-worn meme material. Watching Buck scoop the largest pancake ever made off the counter with a shovel is worth watching alone.
3
Clerks
Kevin Smith’s first movie launched an indie movement
An unknown filmmaker named Kevin Smith wrote and directed this indie love letter to his own days working dead-end jobs at convenience stores in Leonardo, New Jersey. Clerks was made for just over $27,000, and Smith’s boss actually let him shoot the movie in the actual Quick Stop he worked in. The black and white slacker film follows Dante (Brian O’Halloran), a Quick Stop clerk forced to work on his day off—if you want to call it work. He and his buddy Randal (Jeff Anderson), who works at the adjacent video store, deal with the odd customer while slacking off, arguing about Star Wars, and contemplating their meaningless lives.
Quiz
Name that John Hughes movie
Trivia challenge
From detention to vacation chaos — can you identify the classic from just a clue?
ComedyTeen Films80s MoviesCharactersClassics
Five teenagers from different social cliques are stuck in Saturday detention at Shermer High School. Which John Hughes film is this?
Correct! The Breakfast Club (1985) brought together a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal for one unforgettable Saturday. The film is widely regarded as one of the defining movies of the 1980s.
Not quite — the answer is The Breakfast Club (1985). The five students detained at Shermer High School became icons of teen cinema, with Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, and Anthony Michael Hall leading the cast.
A Chicago teenager fakes illness to spend a day touring the city with his girlfriend and best friend, outsmarting his suspicious principal. Name the movie.
That’s right! Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) starred Matthew Broderick as the endlessly charming Ferris, who famously broke the fourth wall to talk directly to the audience throughout the film.
The correct answer is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986). Matthew Broderick played Ferris, whose elaborate day of hooky included a parade float singalong of ‘Twist and Shout’ that remains one of cinema’s most beloved scenes.
A girl from a working-class family has a crush on a wealthy boy, but her quirky best friend complicates everything. This 1986 Hughes film starred Molly Ringwald.
Correct! Pretty in Pink (1986) followed Andie (Molly Ringwald) as she navigated the social divide between her world and the wealthy ‘richies.’ The film was directed by Howard Deutch, though Hughes wrote and produced it.
The answer is Pretty in Pink (1986). Molly Ringwald starred as Andie Walsh, and the film famously had its ending changed after test audiences disapproved of her ending up with Duckie, played by Jon Cryer.
The Griswold family loads up the station wagon and embarks on a disastrous cross-country road trip to Walley World amusement park. Which film is this?
You got it! National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) launched the beloved Griswold family franchise, with Chevy Chase as the hopelessly optimistic Clark Griswold. The film was based on a semi-autobiographical story Hughes wrote for National Lampoon magazine.
The correct answer is National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983). This was the first of the Griswold family road trip films, and it introduced Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold — a dad whose good intentions consistently lead to spectacular disaster.
A young boy is accidentally left home alone during the Christmas holidays and must defend his house against two bumbling burglars. Name the John Hughes-written film.
That’s right! Home Alone (1990) starred Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister and became one of the highest-grossing comedies of all time. Hughes wrote and produced the film, which was directed by Chris Columbus.
The answer is Home Alone (1990). Macaulay Culkin’s performance as Kevin McCallister made him one of Hollywood’s biggest child stars, and the film’s booby trap sequences became instantly iconic in pop culture.
A mismatched pair — a neat-freak advertising executive and a lovable, oversized shower-curtain-ring salesman — are forced to travel together to make it home for Thanksgiving. What’s the film?
Correct! Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) paired Steve Martin and John Candy in what many consider Hughes’s most emotionally resonant film. The ending, which reveals Del Griffith’s heartbreaking secret, consistently brings audiences to tears.
The answer is Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987). Steve Martin and John Candy delivered career-best performances, and the film is celebrated not just as a comedy but as a genuinely moving story about loneliness and human connection.
A teenager’s sixteenth birthday is completely forgotten by her entire family, who are consumed by her sister’s wedding. A geeky admirer and a popular senior boy complicate her day. Name the film.
Right! Sixteen Candles (1984) was John Hughes’s directorial debut and starred Molly Ringwald as the forgotten birthday girl Samantha Baker. Anthony Michael Hall also appeared as the lovable Geek, beginning his frequent collaboration with Hughes.
The correct answer is Sixteen Candles (1984). It was John Hughes’s first film as a director, and it launched Molly Ringwald to stardom. The movie established many of the themes and character types that would define Hughes’s teen film era.
Two teenage boys use a home computer to accidentally create a beautiful and supernaturally powerful woman, who proceeds to transform their lives. Which Hughes film is this?
That’s right! Weird Science (1985) starred Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith as the teens, with Kelly LeBrock as the wish-fulfilling creation Lisa. The film drew clear inspiration from the classic horror tale Frankenstein, but with a comedic teen twist.
The answer is Weird Science (1985). Anthony Michael Hall starred alongside Kelly LeBrock, whose character Lisa gave the two nerdy protagonists the confidence they needed. The film later inspired a TV series that ran from 1994 to 1998.
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Loitering out front are slacker drug dealers Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith), sideline characters that spin off into Smith’s larger “View Askewniverse” movies that includes Clerks II, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma. Clerks is considered a groundbreaking landmark of ’90s indie cinema. It holds a 90% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.
2
Witness
Forget Indy and Solo—proof Harrison Ford can do drama, too
Director Peter Weir’s 1985 crime thriller Witness was not only a critical and box office success that earned eight Oscar noms and two wins, but it also achieved something much more important—it proved that Harrison Ford could play much more than a dusty, whip-snapping archaeologist or a stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder.
In Witness, Ford plays police detective John Book, who’s forced to embed himself undercover in a Pennsylvania Amish community to protect Samuel (Lukas Haas), a young boy who witnesses a brutal murder in a Philadelphia train station bathroom. Book must adapt to the simple ways of the Amish to keep a low profile, but things get complicated when a forbidden romance begins to develop with Samuel’s widowed mother, Rachel (Top Gun‘s Kelly McGillis). Ford earned his lone Oscar nomination for his performance in the film, which has a solid 92% RT score.
1
Charlotte’s Web (2006)
A spider, a pig, and an all-star voice cast
And now something for the kids this week. Charlotte’s Web, the beloved E.B. White novel from 1952, has had several iterations put to film, from live-action to animated. But this well-received and well-regarded adaptation from 2006 not only blends both actors and CGI, but brings with it a formidable voice cast of some of Hollywood’s heaviest hitters, including Steve Buscemi, Oprah Winfrey, John Cleese, and Robert Redford.
For those who didn’t read it in elementary school, Charlotte’s Web is a heart-wrenching story about loss and change that follows a runt piglet named Wilbur, who learns from the other barnyard creatures that he’s destined for the dinner table. But not if determined spider Charlotte (Julia Roberts) has anything to say about it, as the clever arachnid miraculously starts spinning words of praise about Wilbur into her web. With Charlotte and a young girl named Fern (Dakota Fanning) on Wilbur’s side, there’s hope that the little piglet will be spared. It’s a tear-jerker, to be sure, but it’s a charming adaptation of a true classic.
Something for everyone this week
Not every great watch has to be a brand-new addition, and whether you’re looking for a laugh, a cry, or a little nail-biting tension, there’s no wrong pick in the bunch this week. But we’re just at the beginning of June, so be sure to keep an eye out for more weekly movie streaming pics.
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Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
