Synopsis
When a law school dropout answers an advertisement to be a personal assistant he unknowingly signs on to work for a belligerent has-been magician struggling to resurrect his career. This leads to a journey across the country staging the comeback of a lifetime.
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Cast
- John MalkovichBuck Howard
- Emily BluntValerie Brennan
- Steve ZahnKenny
- Tom HanksMr. Gable
- Colin HanksTroy Gabel
- Patrick FischlerMichael Perry
- Ricky JayGil Bellamy
- Griffin DunneJonathan Finerman
- Debra MonkDoreen
- Adam ScottAlan
Recommendations
- 91
Entertainment Weekly
The Great Buck Howard is in love with kitsch, the backwaters of showbiz, and true magic. It's a wee charmer that left me enchanted. - 88
Chicago Sun-Times
I firmly believe such illusions are never the result of psychic powers, but I am fascinated by them, anyway. The wisdom of this film, directed and written by Sean McGinly, is to never say. - 80
Film Threat
A fine little comedy and a hilarious character study of an ego gone wild. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
A warm, amiable glimpse at the end of the showbiz road. - 70
Variety
Behind-the-curtains comedy reps an amusing showcase for John Malkovich's diva-like theatrics in the title role. - 63
ReelViews
Like its main character, the production rarely seems ready for prime time. - 58
The A.V. Club
Buck Howard has a nice feel for its tacky, second-rate show-business milieu--a rinky-dink world of telethons, small towns starved for entertainment, and entertainers whose careers have been in freefall since Hollywood Squares went off the air. - 50
The New Yorker
The only person who wakes the movie from its slumbers is Emily Blunt. She gets a nothing role as a publicist, and makes something both sultry and casual out of it.
