The Great Buck Howard

source: The Great Buck Howard

The Amazing Kreskin was a fairly good vaudeville type entertainer, This film is somewhat based on his career. John Malkovich is Buck Howard,The character is portrays is a vain, egotistical,not very likable person. Malkovich is excellent in the role. Colin Hanksis his road manager (glorified flunky).He also does a fine job. He is getting better & better with every role. His real life father Tom Hanks, plays his father in 2 short scenes. Emily Blunt another up & coming actress is featured as a publicist. She as usual is a delight. Sean McGinly wrote & directed. The film played the festival circuit in 2008, & had a limited few week run in no more than 50 screens in May 2009. It was then released to DVD. Actually it is easy to see why it had such a weak release. I did (I think you will as well) enjoy the movie,It just has something missing.I know I would not want to see the vaudeville act of Buck Howard ( or Kreskin) a second time,that is what may be missing. Quite a few entertainers have bit cameo roles, Ricky Jay comes over very well in his bit. Ratings: *** (out of 4)83 points (out of 100) IMDb 7 (out of 10)

This movie manages to cruelly belittle nearly every cliché it observes - a host of Gary Colemanesque has-beens, including Gary Coleman; the chitlin circuit and its yokel boosters; bimbo TV personalities; indifferent agents; callous journalists: yawn. The one hackneyed element this movie fails to casually insult is its own writing and directing, both of which consistently miss the opportunities in their premise, and both of which are the responsibility of a single incompetent. I suggest Sean McGinly think very hard about pots and kettles before the next time he makes fun of a hack. The running gags are unfunny the first time. The romance is so uninspired that I felt embarrassed for the actors. The plot is so predictable that I might as well not have watched this film at all, but any number of bittersweet lovable-loser romps in the ROCKY meets JUNIOR BONNER vein instead. The underwhelming presence of Colin Hanks does nothing to aid this centerless jelly of a story, but I suspect he would be capable of more with a little help from a real director. Not a moment of this film is supported by anyone behind the camera except Tak Fujimoto, who is a very good photographer. But pictures of Sean McGinly's stool, no matter how well-lighted, are just gonna be pictures of crap. The actors, those capable of working without aid of good writing or any sort of directing, are fine. John Malkovich hasn't needed a director since he found his way onto his first set. Steve Zahn could do this part in his sleep, and has the work ethic not to. Emily Blunt uses the time to perfect her American accent. And Griffin Dunne is always welcome in my DVD player. But a movie about a magician, with Ricky Jay in it, in which Ricky Jay performs no trick other than keeping a straight face, is a movie that should never, ever be made.

Colin Hanks Plays a young law school dropout who ends up answering an ad as road manager. Little does he know the ad is to work for Buck Howard or as Johnny Carson dubbed him "The Great" Buck Howard. Buck Howard is a faded mentalist (not "magician", please) who still goes on about his 61 Tonight Show appearances with Johnny Carson (he has a disdain for Jay Leno). He still thinks that he's big time though he's been playing small venues for years. Meanwhile, Hanks father finds out that he dropped out of law school and is none too happy with him working for Buck. Hanks father in the film is played by his real life father, Tom. The younger Hanks decides to stick it out because you feel that he believes in Buck though he may be difficult and deep down he knows its smoke and mirrors. Including one trick that astounds Hanks each time, at the end of the night Buck goes to the back and the audience hides his money; if he fails to find it he doesn't get paid. He's never not found the money. Hanks also knows Buck has an illusion up his sleeve something big, something that would really put him back on the map. Emily Blunt plays Buck's media liaison on the road who becomes Hanks love interest. The Great Buck Howard is only so-so. It feels like it wants to be The Graduate meets Mr. Saturday Night. Malkovitch is the only standout thing about this picture. The cast is capable but bland. The end result is an uneven, unsatisfying film. The film seems to be missing a spark and as a result it feels like it meanders too much in its 90 minutes. It feels like a short film stretched to feature length.

In the words of the films central protagonist,Buck Howard (John Malkovich),an over the hill,has been illusionist (patterned somewhat after the amazing Kreskin),who's glory days were pretty much faded by the late 1970's,is still,none the less,performing to pretty much mostly empty theaters in middle American. Buck has just fired his longtime road manager,and is looking for another body to bully around. The open window of opportunity arrives for a law school dropout (played by Colin Hanks, and yes,son of Tom)to act as Buck's whipping boy. The two,aided by a pretty booking agent (Emily Blunt)hit the road,to watch Buck play every small backwater town,and performing the same stale act (boy,talk about a one trick pony),while riding on the coat tails of days gone by (he drones endlessly about appearing on the Tonight Show,with Johnny Carson back in the day,while verbally trashing current host,Jay Leno). The film also has some help from several other actual "over the hill,has beens", such as Gary Coleman,Ricky Jay ("You can call me Ray,you can call me Jay",etc.),and others,including several other cameos,including Tom Hanks, as the perturbed father of the law student (who is one of the two executive producers of the film). This is a small film that wears it's heart on it's sleeve. As it's being carried by a small,independent studio,distribution will be somewhat limited. Rated PG by the MPAA,this film has a bit of rude talk & sensual material,but not much else that could be considered offensive to parents of older children.

I caught this movie on the right venue, on TV in my house. Harmless, quirky and somewhat interesting, it's simply not silver screen material. The cast does a nice job but even upper level performances can't raise the film above mediocrity. The presentation of Buck Howard's show is clumsy and you never really believe that John Malkovich was performing in character on stage. Off stage, he delivers a nice, offbeat performance. Collin Hanks is starting to become the spitting image of his father, mannerisms and all. Emily Blunt is charming and instantly captivating. She's a big star waiting to explode. Worth seeing for the performances but it never leaves the realm or feel of a made for TV movie.

This film is about a young man who quits law school to become the assistant to a waning mentalist performer. "The Great Buck Howard" has a unconventional beginning, with coloured subtitles helping to get points across. It is a fun way to start a film, yet the rest of the film has a vastly different tone.The title character Buck Howard is an unpleasant and mean guy, and yet somehow he strikes a chord with the viewers. He makes me sympathise with his misfortunes, and feel sad that his amazing acts get overlooked by the public and the press. I wanted Buck Howard to succeed in his tricks, even though he is unpleasant to work with. I enjoyed watching "The Great Buck Howard".

Houdini was once approached by a student who told him, "I know hundreds of card tricks, how many do you know?" Houdini replied, "Five, and I have dedicated my entire life to learning how to entertain an audience with them". Buck Howard is a dried up celebrity struggling for his last gasp of fame. Almost forty years ago, Johnny Carson gave Buck Howard the title "The Great Buck Howard" and it stuck. Unfortunately, those years have left their mark and Buck is no longer 'Great'. Despite his tired jokes, sappy piano clap-along songs and magic acts he manages to attract small crowds at far-flung venues in the middle of America. The performances are always "One Night Only", as there would never be enough seat-fillers for a second. So what is exactly that keeps him going? Colin Hanks plays Troy Gable, a law school dropout looking for a detour to finally get the answer to what he is meant to do in life. Will be able to counsel him a unbalanced magician -or mentalist-? Nicely done, this film is funny and likable. A modern story about life dreams, the fierce entertainment industry, and the sadness that hides behind a bad temperamental person. Every well-known actor that appears in this film,even if they play short cameo roles, plays an important part. It's quite a gentle, unusual comedy, so morals behind this movie are hard to get. However, this is a good film worth watching and definitely should be shown as an example of outstanding acting from Malkovich to Star Trek actor George Takei.

This could be the story about so many "B" level celebrities, and is based on the life story of the "Amazing Kresken," The Great Buck Howard tells us that once you enter the field of entertainment, you might do anything to stay on top. Buck Howard (played wonderfully cheesy by John Malkovich) is a "mentalist" who was popular on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show," appearing 61 times. He is a classic 70s Vegas magician, doing fascinating tricks and metal feats of amazement. In all, he is a relic of decades past, entertainment without special effects and he still seems to think he is on top of the entertainment world. Howard's career has has hit near the bottom, performing in such hotbeds as Bakersfield, CA and Akron, OH in front of partially filled small auditoriums. Still, he see's himself as a big time entertainer that is just not getting the break he needs to get back on top (much of which he blames on Jay Leno), in many ways he is a sad individual and does not get that the only people who enjoy him are almost as sad as him. The story is told through the eyes of his traveling secretary, played by Colin Hanks, who is, himself, struggling with issues. He is battling his desires to become famous with his fathers (played by his real dad Tom Hanks)wish he become a lawyer. since he has no real talent (other than writing)he is breaking into entertainment the only way he sees possible. This is a charming film, not something for those looking for action, a major love story (a minor one occurs between Colin and the beautiful Emily Blunt (best known as the 1st assistant in The Devil Wears Prada), or some major personal victory, although in the end, Howard does find what makes him happy. This is a movie that likely describes the life of many "B" entertainers that are seeking to stay in a limelight that has moved away from them. it is simple and enjoyable.

I just saw this movie at SIFF. It was well-cast and entertaining. Colin Hanks, Adam Scott, and John Malkovich were especially enjoyable to watch. It is a comedy, but it was written and performed in such a way that I cared about the characters. It was funny and interesting so time flew because I was engaged in the plot. It is appropriate and appealing to a wide age range, and I would have felt comfortable going with my grandmother or my 12-year-old cousin. I especially recommend this movie to families or couples who are just getting to know each other because it will give you something to talk about afterward without ever making you feel uncomfortable or embarrassed. It is not action packed but if you enjoyed "Lars and the Real Girl" or "Little Miss Sunshine," you will probably like "The Great Buck Howard."