THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD 3.0*** The truly great John Malkovich plays the not-so-great Buck Howard in "The Great Buck Howard," and manages to magically disappear into this larger-than-life character. Buck is a mentalist/magician with an old 1960’s act that is mildly entertaining. Buck hops from one small town to the next, hopping onstage each time bellowing "I love this town!" with genuine gusto. Buck charms his mostly elderly crowds, who remember him from the Johnny Carson TV show, with magic, mind-reading, hypnotism and an occasional song in the horrific style of Burt Bacharach. Buck is totally blind to the reality that he's not as big as he used to be and, in fact, probably never was.

We see this not-so-great Buck through the eyes of his newest road manager, Troy (Colin Hanks, and yes his dad is Tom Hanks, who also appears as his dad in the film). Troy is a law school dropout and a wanna-be writer who puts up with the Buck's egotistical outbursts and demands partly out of loyalty, partly for the sheer entertainment value and largely because he needs the job. Hanks plays well the part of an indecisive, directionless-type character who serves as a great foil, not only for Buck, but also for the beautiful up-and-coming Emily Blunt (famous for “The Devil Wears Prada”). She is hired by Buck to be his press agent… and once again, she gives an enjoyable, bright, quirky performance. And, she provides just the right touch of cynicism to Buck’s act to counter the “oh-golly-gee”, “it must be true magic” attitude of Troy.

What may seem like a very simple story is, in fact, a very simple story. It begins and ends as an upbeat, uncomplicated comedy. Easy to understand, easy to follow. It’s a small-scale indie charmer. And then there’s John Malkovich. . Malkovich has always been a great actor, always possessing a charisma that is unmistakable, and he is a perfect fit for the character of Buck Howard which is a nice, refreshing change for him from the dark, villainous character for which he’s chiefly known He is sometimes over the top, sometimes wildly eccentric, but that is Buck. And through it all he endears himself to you because he shows that Buck truly loves the fans who love his act, and it matters not that his audience is small, old or unfashionable… and that’s the true magic of Buck and his act.
Clark