The Great Buck Howard (2008)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Sean McGinly

Writer (WGA):

Sean McGinly (written by)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Get ready for the comeback of a lifetime.

Plot:

A young man, much to the chagrin of his father, becomes the new assistant to an illusionist in decline.

Plot Keywords:

Illusionist | Magician | Real Life Father And Son Playing Father And Son | Character Name In Title

Cast

Colin Hanks	...	Troy Gable
B.J. Hendricks	...	Burly
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom Arnold
Jacquie Barnbrook	...	Sheila Heller
Ankur Bhatt
David Blaine	...	Himself
Emily Blunt	...	Valerie Brennan
Osa Danam	...	Hypnotized Woman
Bubba Da Skitso	...	(Unscripted) Sitcom Actor
Griffin Dunne	...	Johnathan Finerman
Patrick Fischler	...	Michael Perry
Matthew Gray Gubler	...	Russel
Tom Hanks	...	Mr. Gable
Nate Hartley	...	Teenage Kid
Matt Hoey	...	Charley
Dale Waddington Horowitz	...	Sleeping Woman
Ricky Jay	...	Gil Bellamy
Shane Johnson	...	Las Vegas Producer
Diana Kyle	...	Hypnotized Woman
Wallace Langham	...	Dan Green
Chene Lawson	...	Law Student #1
John Malkovich	...	Buck Howard
Marni McFair	...	Doctor in Audience
David Mehl	...	Hypnotized Guest
P. David Miller	...	Sleeping Woman's Husband
Debra Monk
Don Most	...	Tonight Show Producer
Conan O'Brien	...	Himself
Norm O'Neill	...	Audience Member #2
Regis Philbin	...	Himself
Jill Ragan	...	Cincinnati Producer
Kelly Ripa	...	Herself
Franklin Ruehl	...	Diner
Lawrence J. Russo	...	Hotel Guest
Terry Scannell	...	Kip
Adam Scott	...	Alan
Kimberly Scott	...	Nurse
Lorna Scott	...	Leesburg Virginia Woman
Danica Sheridan	...	Wisconsin Woman
Jon Stewart	...	Himself
Martha Stewart	...	Herself
Melissa Stone	...	Las Vegas Woman
George Takei	...	Himself
Amy Jo Traicoff	...	Las Vegas Woman
Stacey Travis	...	Cindy Crown
Katherine VanderLinden	...	Law Student
Max Williams	...	Flower Delivery Guy
Casey Wilson	...	Charity (as Casey Rose Wilson)
Nate Witty	...	Law Student #2
Wendy Worthington	...	Oregon Woman
Steve Zahn

MPAA:

Rated PG for some language including suggestive remarks, and a drug reference.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

Bristol Bay Productions

Trivia:

Real-life father and son Tom Hanks and Colin Hanks also play father and son in the movie.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: While Buck and Troy are being driven around Cincinnati, you can see palm trees out the back and side windows of the limo.

Movie Connections:

References "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (1993)

I Loved This Movie!!!!

This was a very good comedy, well written and acted. The dialog was witty, the plot kept the pace going, and the character development was very good. Buck Howard (John Malkovich) is an "Amazing Kreskin" type magician who hires an assistant named Troy (Colin Hanks)to help him out while on the road, playing small venues in small towns. Troy is a law school dropout who decides to pursue a career in show business, against the wishes of his father (played by Tom Hanks in a brief role). Buck Howard had been a bigger star in the past, playing on Johnny Carson 61 times, but recently had been down on his luck.

Troy tells the story (Nick Carraway like) of Howard's life on the road, his unlikely comeback, and his fall back to earth. Along the way, we are introduced to Valerie, a publicity agent, excellently portrayed by Emily Blunt. Troy and Valerie become romantically involved, which makes Buck jealous, of whom specifically is unclear. Everyone in the movie seems curious as to Buck's sexual orientation: is he gay or not? Nobody knows for sure.

There were numerous cameo appearances by notable celebrities throughout the movie and Steve Zahn put in a hilarious performance as one of Buck's devoted fans.

This was a very funny movie, and I enjoyed it a lot. I'd recommend it to anyone who appreciates a good comedy.