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Movies / On DVD / The Great Buck Howard
The Great Buck Howard

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The Great Buck Howard (2009)

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73 %
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Reviews Counted: 86

Fresh: 63

Rotten:23

Average Rating: 6.5/10

Consensus: 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.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for some language including suggestive remarks, and a drug reference.

Runtime: 2 hrs 17 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Mar 20, 2009 Limited

Box Office: $606,264

Synopsis: Prior to THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD, writer-director Sean McGinly helmed TWO DAYS, a film that deals with themes of show-business failure. McGinly treads similar territory here, but whereas DAYS mixed... Prior to THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD, writer-director Sean McGinly helmed TWO DAYS, a film that deals with themes of show-business failure. McGinly treads similar territory here, but whereas DAYS mixed dark comedy and tense drama in the internal struggle of a man who merely thinks he’s a failed entertainer, BUCK is a gentle charmer about a bona-fide washed-up star. When sensible but jaded law student Troy Gabel (Colin Hanks) decides that school isn’t for him, he takes off without telling his father (Tom Hanks, whose presence underscores how many mannerisms he and his real-life son have in common) and looks for the job that will get him a proverbial foot in the door of the entertainment industry. In the blink of an eye, Troy finds himself as road manager for the Great Buck Howard (John Malkovich), an aging mentalist in the tradition of the Amazing Kreskin. He may be a corny relic with an act full of piano interludes and lo-fi theatrics, but he’s also pretty entertaining and genuinely impressive, especially his signature bit in which he locates his own hidden payment. He’s prone to throwing prima-donna fits and blathering on about his 61 appearances on THE TONIGHT SHOW while he regularly performs to half-full rooms; but every time he screams "I love this town!" to the audiences of Wausau, Wisconsin, and Bakersfield, California, it becomes increasingly apparent that he means it. Buck is the best showcase for Malkovich’s hilarious eccentricities since BEING JOHN MALKOVICH. But seen through the eyes of McGinly’s semi-autobiographical Troy and a perceptive publicist named Valerie (Emily Blunt), he’s more than just a caricature: his brief, hipster-irony-propelled resurgence as a national celebrity and the movie’s lighthearted satirization of Hollywood suggest he’s the kitschy, infantile heart of every entertainer. [More]

Starring: John Malkovich, Colin Hanks, Emily Blunt, Griffin Dunne

Starring: John Malkovich, Colin Hanks, Emily Blunt, Griffin Dunne, Ricky Jay, Steve Zahn, Tom Hanks

Director: Sean McGinly

Director: Sean McGinly
Screenwriter: Sean McGinly
Producer: Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman
Composer: Blake Neely
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

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Release:

Jul 21, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region [unknown]
  • Keep Case

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital - English
  • Subtitles - Spanish
 
 
 
 

Reviews for The Great Buck Howard

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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A slight yet satisfying show-biz tale.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
04/22/09
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

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

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
04/15/09
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...

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
04/10/09
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

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

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
04/10/09
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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.

Full Review Source: Film.com | comment Comment
04/09/09
Jonathan F. Richards
Film.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A pleasant enough comedy in the My Favorite Year mold.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
04/08/09
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

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

Full Review Source: SSG Syndicate | comment Comment
04/04/09
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.

Full Review Source: Tolucan Times | comment Comment
04/04/09
Tony Medley
Tolucan Times

A modest snapshot of a performer.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
04/03/09
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
04/02/09
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The film feels painfully thin.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
04/02/09
Rafer Guzman
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
04/01/09
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.

Full Review Source: Monsters and Critics | comment Comment
03/29/09
Ron Wilkinson
Monsters and Critics

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

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
03/27/09
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

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.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
03/27/09
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A delightful drama about a seasoned mentalist who has seen better days and yet can still engender genuine wonder in the minds of his audiences.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/26/09
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

The heart of the film is all about finding life's element, better yet, a way to put yourself into your life's element, despite pressures to be somewhere or something else.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
03/25/09
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

Light, witty, and occasionally thoughtful, The Great Buck Howard is a good Saturday-afternoon popcorn flick for teens and adults.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
03/23/09
Alissa Wilkinson
Christianity Today

Malkovich is superb as the outwardly gracious, inwardly hostile and acerbic has-been.

Full Review Source: Kaplan vs. Kaplan | comment Comment
03/23/09
Jeanne Kaplan
Kaplan vs. Kaplan

This is a film to treasure, with smart performances and a dead-on script.

Full Review Source: Kaplan vs. Kaplan | comment Comment
03/23/09
David Kaplan
Kaplan vs. Kaplan
 
 
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Latest News for The Great Buck Howard

March 19, 2009: Malkovich shines in character study of washed-up Kreskin-like mentalist. Opens in new window
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December 15, 2008: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
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