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The Great Buck Howard (2008)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 6.4/10
Reviews Counted: 91
Fresh: 65 | Rotten: 26

By turns fluffy and biting, this show biz comedy is given girth by comic heavyweight John Malkovich and made all the more charming by Emily Blunt.

Average Rating: 6.4/10
Critic Reviews: 26
Fresh: 19 | Rotten: 7

By turns fluffy and biting, this show biz comedy is given girth by comic heavyweight John Malkovich and made all the more charming by Emily Blunt.

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Average Rating: 3.1/5
User Ratings: 31,103

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Movie Info

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 entertainment business, and when he learns that a "celebrity performer" is looking for a personal assistant, Troy thinks he's found the ideal entry-level position. Troy soon discovers he's landed a job as a

PG, 1 hr. 27 min.

Drama, Comedy

Directed By: Sean McGinly

Written By: Sean McGinly

In Theaters: Mar 20, 2009 Wide

On DVD: Jul 21, 2009

Box Office:$0.6M

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The Great Buck Howard Trailer & Photos

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Cast

Critic Reviews for The Great Buck Howard

All Critics (92) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (66) | Rotten (26) | DVD (1)

This is not a rare movie, but it does have a warm red center. It's likable, and its appeal grows as it recovers from a shaky start and finds its footing.

April 9, 2009 Full Review Source: Film.com

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Jonathan F. Richards

Film.com

Top Critic

A pleasant enough comedy in the My Favorite Year mold.

April 8, 2009 Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel

| Comment

Roger Moore

Orlando Sentinel

Top Critic

A modest snapshot of a performer.

April 3, 2009 Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle

| Comment

Amy Biancolli

Houston Chronicle

Top Critic

The film feels painfully thin.

April 2, 2009 Full Review Source: Newsday

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Rafer Guzman

Newsday

Top Critic

Buck Howard is Malkovich's show. When's he's off the screen, the film sputters, but while he's on-camera, it's magical.

March 27, 2009 Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune

| Comment

Colin Covert

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Top Critic

The movie, which was written and directed by Sean McGinly, is consistently good as long as it centers on Buck and his seriocomic travails.

March 23, 2009 Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor

| Comment

Peter Rainer

Christian Science Monitor

Top Critic

Malkovich's titular mentalist is the primary focus of attention%u2014and sadly the source of many of the film's unique problems. In a career of strange performances, Malkovich turns in a true curiosity here%u2014and maybe it's because he is not, for once,

August 8, 2009 Full Review Source: indieWIRE

| Comment

Leo Goldsmith

indieWIRE

The problem isn't so much in the film's clumsy, hand-holding narration, or in its forced quirkiness. Rather it's that its most interesting character -- the one they named the thing after -- isn't the main character.

July 24, 2009 Full Review Source: Times-Picayune

| Comment (1)

Mike Scott

Times-Picayune

John Malkovich deserves the most credit for the film's success, as he turns in a compelling performance as a pathetic has-been who has no idea he's washed up.

July 16, 2009 Full Review Source: Sly Fox

| Comment

Kam Williams

Sly Fox

A slight yet satisfying show-biz tale.

April 22, 2009 Full Review Source: Creative Loafing

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Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

By no means a great film, but it makes up in modest pleasantness what it lacks in weightiness.

April 15, 2009 Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

| Comment

Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Sleight of hand is among a magician's greatest assets, but even the most gullible rubes will be able to follow most of writer-director Sean McGinly's telegraphed moves in this agreeable but lightweight film...

April 10, 2009 Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

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John Beifuss

Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

...a charming, pleasantly diverting movie that is hard to dislike.

April 10, 2009 Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Inspired by the Amazing Kreskin, it's a poignant, gently satiric portrait of the utter desperation of a fading celebrity.

April 4, 2009 Full Review | Comment

Susan Granger

SSG Syndicate

This moderately entertaining film would have been a lot more entertaining had the charismatic, exceptionally talented Emily Blunt been given a much larger role.

April 4, 2009 Full Review Source: Tolucan Times

| Comment

Tony Medley

Tolucan Times Source: Tolucan Times

While arguably sweet and charming, The Great Buck Howard is memorable only because of his sleight of hand.

April 2, 2009 Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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Duane Dudek

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Malkovich expertly starts the relationship between his character and the audience on several wrong feet before winning us over.

April 1, 2009 Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star

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Phil Villarreal

Arizona Daily Star

A good comedy with jokes and nostalgia for the whole family and tasteful subject matter. But it would have been as good or better without the Hanks father-son team.

March 29, 2009 Full Review Source: Monsters and Critics

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Ron Wilkinson

Monsters and Critics

Watching The Great Buck Howard is like listening to 'Chopsticks' played really well. Impressive, maybe, but who cares?

March 27, 2009 Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press

| Comment

Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)

St. Paul Pioneer Press

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Audience Reviews for The Great Buck Howard

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Buck Howard: I love this town!�"Greatness is a state of mind"I love this movie. Although, there were a few things wrong with it, such as Colin Hanks in the lead role(he's not his dad), the movie succeeds as a short charming comedy. The story or movie for that matter is nothing spectacular. It's actually quite average.

July 28, 2011

Melvin White

Super Reviewer

"But I had learned from Buck that when you do the thing you love, somehow, magically, you find the money."The Great Buck Howard is a slightly above average movie with an excellent cast. John Malkovich, Colin Hanks, Emily Blunt, Tom Hanks, Steve Zahn, and others all contribute to this "slightly based on a true story"

June 8, 2010

Lewis C.

Super Reviewer

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