The Great Buck Howard

The Great Buck Howard

Once upon a time, Buck Howard (John Malkovich) spent his days in the limelight. His mind-boggling feats as a mentalist extraordinaire – not to be confused with those of a mere magician - earned him a marquee act in Vegas and 61 appearances on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show.  In his own humble opinion, his talents go far beyond simple sleight of hand – he can read minds and hypnotize not just a single soul but an entire room of people! But nowadays, it’s clear to everyone but Buck that his act has lost its luster; he performs in faded community centers and hasn’t sold out a theater in years.
 
Yet, with a hearty handshake and a trademark “I love this town!,” Buck Howard perseveres, confident in his own celebrity, convinced his comeback is imminent. He just needs a new road manager and personal assistant. As it turns out, recent law school drop-out and unemployed, would-be writer Troy Gable (Colin Hanks) needs a job and a purpose.  Working for the pompous, has-been mentalist fills the former requirement, but how it satisfies the latter is questionable, especially to his father (Tom Hanks), who still assumes Troy is in law school. Nonetheless, with the aid of a fiery publicist (Emily Blunt) and a bold stroke of fate, Buck surprisingly lands back into the American consciousness, taking Troy along for the ride of his life.
 
As the coveted spotlight again shines on the great Buck Howard, Buck becomes the unlikeliest of teachers as Troy learns a few tricks he couldn’t possibly have picked up in law school.

Rating: PG
Runtime: 1 hr 30 minutes
Distributors: Magnolia
Release Date: 4/22/2009

Credits

Written and Directed by Sean McGinly

Executive Producers Steven Shareshian,

Marvin V. Acuna

Producers Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman

Co-Producer Ginger Sledge

Buck Howard John Malkovich

Troy Gable Colin Hanks

Valerie Brennan Emily Blunt

Gil Belami Ricky Jay

Kenny Steve Zahn

Mr. Gable Tom Hanks

Reviews

"A wonderfully refreshing and original film; this may be John Malkovich's best role and performance, maybe of his career"
Edward Douglas - Comingsoon.net
"A sweet, tender, slightly satirical slice of the showbiz life."
Ben Lyons - At the Movies
"When an actor finds the perfect role, a rare sort of magic happens. And you can find it onscreen right now, in The Great Buck Howard."
Elizabeth Weitzman - New York Daily News
"The film is a small-scale charmer that provides a tailor-made role for Malkovich, who is always fun to watch"
Lou Lumenick - New York Post

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