Admittedly, it is easy to dismiss a movie produced by a father and starring his son – in this case Tom Hanks and Colin Hanks. Terms like 'nepotism' and 'vanity project' inevitably come to mind. Add to that a writer/director whose previous credits include anything starring Treat Williams and you have really have to think several times before shelling out your hard-earned money. In the case of "The Great Buck Howard" these assumptions are, happily, inaccurate.
Inspired by the career of Johnny Carson mainstay 'The Amazing Kreskin', "The Great Buck Howard" chronicles the efforts of the titular character to get his once flourishing career as a mentalist back on track, as seen through the eyes of his new road manager/personal assistant, Troy Gabel. In a parallel storyline, Gabel has recently quit law school and seeks to start his own dream career of being a writer.
While the acting across the board is solid, what really sells this film is John Malkovich's portrayal of Howard. Malkovich ("
Burn After Reading"), no stranger to playing bizarre characters, may have found the role that he was born to play in the egotistical, hot-tempered, charismatic, and wonderfully uneven Howard. Utterly convinced of his own enduring fame and unforgiving of anyone who fails to recognize it, Howard could easily have been an odious character, but Malkovich injects just the right amount of humanity and desperation into the man to keep the audience on his side as he relentlessly pursues his goal. It is also to the credit of director Sean McGinly that he stops Malkovich short of becoming cartoonish, which was probably not an easy task, given his general tendency to chew the scenery. The only exception would be the over-used device of Howard's aggressive handshake, but that's not so annoying as to be distracting.
Colin Hanks, best known for his work on TV's "Roswell" (and for being Tom Hanks' son), also does a nice job playing the aimless Troy Gabel. While this character doesn't give Hanks much of a chance to stretch his acting wings, he does a nice job of playing the hapless and put-upon assistant. Subsumed by Howard's personality, his character sheds a nice light onto the reasons that Howard became famous in the first place. His need to believe that Howard's show involves no tricks, but actual feats of mind-reading, echoes the childlike sense of wonder that bouys these sorts of performers. Emily Blunt ("
The Devil Wears Prada") creates a good counter-point to Gabel, playing the part of cynical publicist Valerie Brennan, who represents our adult selves in insisting that Howard's whole act is a sham.
Director Sean McGinly does a decent job, largely making the obvious shot and rightfully shying away from trying to do anything overly ambitious. His real contribution, though, is the screenplay, which quietly wraps explorations of the meaning of adulthood and responsibility inside an amusing and engaging story.
"The Great Buck Howard" is a good example of what a character-driven movie can be. It is not groundbreaking, nor does it try to be. What it does, though, is provide an entertaining exploration of its characters and gives you something to chew on afterwards.
