Review of The Great Buck Howard (2008) by Mike C — 19 Oct 2010

Wow, I watched this because the cast seemed okay and Emily Blunt was listed. Oh my gawd am I in love with that girl. But this movie turns out to be a nice little gem that grossed under a million bucks. With a cast as big as this, how is that possible!?

Malkovich does a fantastic job as an illusionist/mentalist who refuses to go away on the small circuit, trying to claw his way back into the spotlight. He's helped by manager Colin Hanks, and Blunt plays a PR person who falls for Hanks' character. Along the way are cameos by many famous people, including the greatest of them all: Mr. Jon Stewart.

The movie is surprisingly funny, mostly because of Malkovich. He has always been able to play the slightly off-center guy. Buck Howard is no different. Based evidently on a real-life character but otherwise fake, Buck has done it his way for 40 years and is not about to change. He's rather neurotic in his ways and his fits when something goes awry are pretty funny. Of particular note is the news anchor who cannot complete the coin trick and he completely wigs.

Other than that, it's just a nice story. Despite all his misgivings, Howard is somehow likable. Maybe it's his dedication to being mediocre. Maybe there really is a talent there. On top of the humor, a slight romance makes its way into the movie, and any time Blunt is acting like an interested girl, I want to watch it. Glad I stumbled across this one and it gets a solid 8/10.