"The Great Buck Howard" is a film that is not for all tastes. Now this is really true of all movies...but particularly true of this one. I watched the film with my wife and about midway through it, she was done....and she left because she got bored with the story. In addition, the style film just isn't 'normal'...it's more like a character study than an actual movie...and much of it is because you don't particularly like the main character, Buck Howard.

Colin Hanks (son of Tom) plays Troy, a young man who wants to experience life and not his father's idea of what his life should be. So, he drops out of law school and takes a job as a road manager for a has-been mentalist, Buck Howard (John Malkovich). This does seem like a huge come-down and it's hard to discern WHY he would take such a job...especially because although Howard's skills are at times amazing, he also, at times, is a total pain in the butt. This story, essentially, is about the time the two work together...though exactly what it all means and a normal story arc aren't here in this story.

I think Hanks and Malkovich are amazing and their performances alone are reasons to watch the film. As far as the story goes, however, it was weak and I really am not sure what it all meant...if anything.

Colin Hanks play Troy Gable, a law school drop out. He becomes the road manager for The Great Buck Howard (John Malkovich) a flamboyant washed up mentalist. Buck plays the small towns as Colin hides from Buck his unpopularity. Buck Howard is a caricature of The Amazing Kreskin. Emily Blunt plays a publicist and love interest for Troy. Tom Hanks has a minor role as Troy's father.

The film is rather shallow and predictable. John Malkovich provides us with a quirky character who is questionably gay. Sadly, Colin Hanks lacks charisma and is unable to pull off a great performance. In spite of the short comings Malkovich gives a performance that carries the film.

No f-bombs, sex, nudity. Just good PG fun.

Troy Gable (Colin Hanks) leaves law school which he hated. It was pushed on him by his father (Tom Hanks). He decides to write but he needs a paying job. He starts to work for mentalist Buck Howard (John Malkovich) who is famous for being on The Tonight Show 61 times, the one with Johnny Carson. He shakes hands really vigorously and his big trick is finding his money in the audience at the end of the show. When the cynical road manager Alan Berkman (Adam Scott) leaves, Troy takes over. In Cincinnati, they are joined by media publicist Valerie Brennan (Emily Blunt). A misunderstanding leads to a sudden resurgence.

It has some deeper moments but mostly it's a gentle, reverent view of this Buck Howard character. It could have been darker. Colin Hanks' nice everyman gets into the way of that. He's given a needed jolt when Emily Blunt comes in. She really should have stayed in the movie. It's not logical and the movie misses her when she disappears. Malkovich is something else. He is masterful. The only way better is to get an actor pass his prime and Malkovich is definitely not pass his prime. This is a wonderful homage to the old performers.