The Great Buck Howard

A young man on his way up hitches his wagon to a middle-aged star on his way down in a comedy from writer and director Sean McGinly. Troy Gable (Colin Hanks) is a guy in his early twenties who has dropped out of law school and is pondering his next move. Troy has an interest in working in the ...more

When the irresistibly appealing Emily Blunt shows up about a third of the way through The Great Buck Howard, it's impossible not to wish she had been given Colin Hanks' role. The wholly uninteresting Hanks plays Troy Gable, personal assistant and road manager for has-been mentalist Buck Howard (John Malkovich). Law-school dropout Troy didn't even know who Buck was before he started working for him, but he eventually comes to feel sympathy for the delusional egomaniac. Buck promises Troy ...more

The Great Buck Howard is a very agreeable "feel good" movie and, as such, should find favor with a great many of those who view it. The story, which is in the tradition of other "behind the scenes with a difficult talent" films as My Favorite Year, concerns an aging mentalist -- do not call him a magician, please -- named Buck Howard (John Malkovich), who was once at the top of the heap but is now reduced to playing to small, if appreciative, audiences far from the big time. His new road ...more