John Malkovich is the heart of THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD, and he's the principal reason for seeing this slight but very enjoyable film. An entertainer whose "mentalist" act has grown stale, Buck Howard is playing to half-filled houses in small cities, far out of the show-biz mainstream. Desperate to revive the fame he enjoyed when he was a fixture on The Tonight Show -- "that's 'The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson'", as he constantly reminds everyone -- Buck concocts a new "effect" that he hopes will get him some new fans, a shot with Jay Leno, and perhaps a booking in Vegas.
Buck's comeback story is told through the observances of Troy Gable (Colin Hanks), a young man looking for a calling, who in the meantime takes a job as Buck's traveling road manager/valet/whipping boy. Troy is both fascinated and repelled by Buck's temperamental behavior and his "cheesy" act.
The movie is entirely conventional, including Troy's liaison with Buck's publicity agent (Emily Blunt), but Malkovich's take on "Buck" make this worth a look or two.
Buck's comeback story is told through the observances of Troy Gable (Colin Hanks), a young man looking for a calling, who in the meantime takes a job as Buck's traveling road manager/valet/whipping boy. Troy is both fascinated and repelled by Buck's temperamental behavior and his "cheesy" act.
The movie is entirely conventional, including Troy's liaison with Buck's publicity agent (Emily Blunt), but Malkovich's take on "Buck" make this worth a look or two.