"I dont have a college degree. I dont even have a job. But I know a good kid when I see one. Because theyre all good kids, until dried-out, brain-dead skags like you drag them down and convince them theyre no good. "You so much as scowl at my niece, or any other kid in this school, and I hear about it, and Im coming looking for you! Take this quarter, go downtown, and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face. Good day to you, madam. - Uncle Buck
Uncle Buck features one of the greatest two-pronged insults in movie history. When his young niece is criticised by the elementary school principal for her developmentally normal behaviour, Uncle Buck lays into the principal. First, he attacks her work as a professional educator, saying that she's the reason why kids stop believing in themselves and lose that magical quality that children have. Then he gets personal. Mocking someone for a physical attribute they can't really control (in this case, a large unsightly mole) might seem like hitting a little below the belt, but here it's well deserved. The timing is perfect as well: it almost feels like wasn't even going to mention it, but by the end of his tirade he just couldn't ignore it any longer.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
