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Mike White, Chris Weitz, Lupe Ontiveros, Beth Colt, Paul Weitz ... see more see more... , Maya Rudolph , Mary Wigmore , Paul Sand

Following his critically acclaimed Star Maps, Miguel Arteta directs this perverse Odd Couple-esque comedy drama. Childhood best buddies Chuck and Buck are reunited after 18 years during the funeral of... read more read more... the latter's mother. Chuck (Chris Weitz who also produced American Pie (1999)) is a button-down movie executive with a gorgeous blond fiancée, Carlyn (Beth Colt). By contrast, the intervening years do not seem to have matured Buck (Mike White) in the slightest -- he still plays with children's toys, throws bawling temper tantrums, and seems to be utterly at a loss at what to do after his mother's death. During the funeral, Buck greets his old friend with an oblivious joy that is hardly appropriate to the setting. Clearly expecting that the friendship will continue where it left off back during the Carter administration, Buck seems confused and sullen in the presence of Carlyn, a yucky girl. This jealousy turns more unnerving when, in midst of a brotherly hug, Buck makes a clumsy grope for Chuck's manhood. Disturbed and embarrassed, Chuck quickly leaves, but not before Carlyn politely suggests that Buck "visit us in L.A. sometime." Buck leaps at the chance and soon is packing up for California. He quickly degenerates from a silly, though pathetic annoyance to a lollipop-sucking stalker. Buck's bizarre attempts to renew his bond with Chuck and to consummate their relationship puts Chuck increasingly on edge and confronts the affluent yuppie with a past he'd just as soon forget. Chuck & Buck was one of the most talked about films at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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61% liked it

3,965 ratings

Critics

85% liked it

85 critics

R, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: Miguel Arteta

Release Date: July 14, 2000

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DVD Release Date: December 19, 2000

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Stats: 228 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (228)

  • hobster1
    January 18, 2009
    hobster1
    Odd, unsettling comedy-drama about a man who continues to have an obsession over his childhood friend. Writer and star, Mike White, is unnerving as Buck, a childlike, lollipop-sucking, 27 year old stalker that you won't soon forget. At once, humorous, tender, scary and pathetic... read more. The film masterfully juggles all of these tones and it's difficult to categorize. Unique and memorable
  • ryguy4738
    June 19, 2011
    ryguy4738
    7.9/10

    Mike White's "Buck" character will someday rank amongst one of the most unforgettable cinematic stalkers. White wrote the film, which was directed by Miguel Arteta, and it shows that White knows what makes movie stalkers so creepy, endearing, and ominous; innoc... read moreence. White plays the stalker of the film, a man who is unable to grow up. He's able to bring out different emotions from the audience, taking us on a roller-coaster ride that doesn't care much for slowing down.

    "Chuck & Buck" is the kind of film that most of us don't necessarily love, but it leaves us in a good mood regardless. It's such a deeply unsettling, sometimes even disturbing drama that will divide audiences for its creepiness and its characters, who are all likable, or at least by the end of the film, they are. I enjoyed the story here. I also admired Arteta's direction. He seems to be the kind of director who would understand the humanity, drama, and humor contained within Mike White's screenplay, although I do believe that White deserves most of the credit for the mostly positive outcome of the film.

    Buck (White) is a lonely, timid, and innocent man in his late 20's, coping with the recent loss of his dear mother. His father had left his life long ago, and Buck doesn't have anyone to turn to. He invites an old friend who he calls Chuck (Chris Weitz) to the funeral party, and to his surprise, Chuck attends. Unlike Buck, Chuck has grown up, he is successful, and he has met the love of his life. Buck is not accepting. Buck doesn't want the party to be their last time to see each-other again. So this is why he's overjoyed when Chuck offers him to visit him and his girlfriend sometime in Los Angeles. He takes them up on this offer.

    Buck has a lot of money to spend, but he settles for a motel. Buck is like a child, unable to let go of childhood toys and objects, so he sets them down in the room and feels at home. He waits a while, and then goes to meet his buddy Chuck. Since Chuck is a busy man, Buck entertains himself by writing a play, which he intends on premiering at a local theater, managed by Beverly (Lupe Ontiveros), who takes an unexpected liking to him. The play is inspired by the events that lead to "Chuck" and Buck's relationship as friends, which began with a onetime summer camp. What happened at camp is heavily implied when the film is nearing its end, but I won't let the secret get out that easily.

    Mike White is a very gifted writer. I sympathized for his creepy, sentimental Buck; who is an obsessive stalker of the Chuck character. The man wrote the story so that we could identify and care about Buck and only Buck. Thus, White's performance, as an actor, playing the character, is also quite wonderful. Weitz is somewhat unlikable when we're first introduced to his annoyance and nigh hatred for Buck, although this is the point. Lupe Ontiveros is also wonderful as the theater manager, who insists on being Buck's only friend. I appreciated the relationships between each character because among other things, they felt real.

    "Chuck & Buck" is not a great film, but it is an undeniably good one. There are those who will love it and form a sort of cultish circle around its existence, and I can't really say that the film deserves any more or any less. There was a lot that I really liked about the movie, to the point where flaws are out of the question. I do not know why this well-written, well-directed effort is NOT perfect, because it resonates fairly well, and I was touched in the end. Perhaps it has something to do with my admiration for unforgettable shots, usage of a great soundtrack, and the like. "Chuck & Buck" is not an art film, and it does not necessarily try to be great movie, so as a film that wins as a piece of entertainment and as a piece of human insight, it's satisfying and definitely worth seeing.
  • fb20312798
    July 9, 2011
    fb20312798
    It works largely because the central conflict is so fascinating. One man refuses to let go of the past and the other refuses to confront it. It makes for a unique and oddly moving film, especially when the two title characters are forced to find a way to reconcile their opposing ... read moreperceptions.
  • divinetrash
    October 8, 2009
    divinetrash
    For a very gloom subject, the movie knows how to be funny when it needs to. Mike White's performance really makes this a stand-out as he expertly portrays his unsettling man-child character and really makes us wonder about how we sometimes cling too much to our past and how past ... read moreactions can affect or disturb us, yet it also has a touch of hope and it ends up being a rather positive movie about growing up and changing. I was really only bothered by how it seemed there was no end in sight at first, but I was glad how they finished the story.
  • patrickdol
    July 10, 2007
    patrickdol
    Sweet and deranged, but really nice at times.
  • KLFilmmaker
    September 24, 2006
    KLFilmmaker
    Weird, funny and a nice twist. Not for the homophobic.
  • fb1413120010
    February 3, 2012
    fb1413120010
    So freaking weird and creepy. But you can't help but feel for Buck, as ridiculous as the stuff is that he does. It's an unusual premise for a stalker film, and the ultimate realization is unsettling. There's a lot at play here, and it's a daring piece of cinema that somehow en... read moreds up making you happy at the end -- happy without Hollywood sugar-coating anything, because the resolution is really, really nice. This is weird piece of filmmaking that is simple but incredibly effective and memorable.
  • dredzag
    September 13, 2008
    dredzag
    So on the surface Buck might seem like a stalker but when you get deeper into it you realize he's just trying to make sense of the world he's in.
  • brent73rn
    July 25, 2008
    brent73rn
    I didn't actually like this movie lol. I liked it for its strength and showcasing the pain of unrequited love. Its is one of the worse and most uncomfortable things to watch.
  • VioletDawn
    January 16, 2008
    VioletDawn
    They don't get much weirder or more uncomfortable than this. This movie centers around two characters who were childhood friends. They engaged in a homosexual relationship in junior high. Then Chuck moves away. Chuck tries to forget it and writes it off as experimentation. Buck n... read moreever forgets it. Chuck becomes the center of his adult fantasies. Buck is the ultimate greasy, gross, weirdo stalker. The movie takes one unexpected and nauseating turn.

View All Chuck & Buck Reviews

Critic Reviews

Michael O'Sullivan
February 12, 2008
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

Skirts stalker cliches and grown-up-kid-in-a-man's-body caricatures. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
February 12, 2008
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

Do you like the clammy as opposed to the scary? Do you like dread rather than drama, anguish and emotional coagulation rather than screamfests? Full Review

David Edelstein
February 12, 2008
David Edelstein, Slate

Chuck & Buck might be the most perversely agreeable stalker picture ever made. Full Review

Dennis Harvey
February 12, 2008
Dennis Harvey, Variety

That Chuck & Buck holds attention despite -- or partly due to -- its murky, troubling central conceit can be credited to execution that's stealthy and low-key throughout. Full Review

Lisa Alspector
February 12, 2008
Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader

Possibly the most daring and honest drama about sexuality I've ever seen. Full Review

Louis B. Parks
July 21, 2005
Louis B. Parks, Houston Chronicle

All the people of Chuck & Buck feel very human. Full Review

Liam Lacey
January 24, 2003
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

A genuinely scary movie. Full Review

Peter Travers
May 10, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

One of the year's best and most provocative films.

Kevin Maynard
January 1, 2000
Kevin Maynard, Mr. Showbiz

Arteta mines a lot of subtle laughs out of [Beverly and Buck's] unlikely pairing.

Geoff Pevere
January 1, 2000
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

Unquestionably one of the most affecting, unusual and daring movies of this year. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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