The Great Buck Howard (2008)

The Great Buck Howard - 2008

Our next film is 2008's "The Great Buck Howard", a movie about the ups and downs in the career of a mentalist and his assistant.

The film's cast includes John Malkovich, Colin Hanks, Emily Blunt, Tom Hanks, Steve Zahn, Griffin Dunne, Debra Monk, Adam Scott, Gary Coleman, Kimberly Scott, Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart, Regis Philbin, Kelly Ripa, George Takei, Mary Hart, Jay Leno, Sandy Martin, Martha Stewart, and Patrick Fischler.

Troy Gable is a young man who wants a change in his life.  Feeling that his current path at law school is no longer for him, he goes against the wishes of his family (in particular is father) and seeks employment on his own.  His ultimate goal is to become a writer.

He takes a job as a road manager for mentalist Buck Howard, a once popular performer who is seeking to make a comeback.  Buck's manner in dealing with employees is far from ideal.  He's abrupt, rude, and very difficult to work with.

Despite these flaws, Troy actually enjoys his time on the road with Buck.  He's charmed by his show, and he's especially impressed by his signature illusion.  Buck's fee for the evening is hidden somewhere in the auditorium, and Buck must use his powers of mentalism to locate it, which he never fails to do.

Troy's father catches up with the act and is completely unimpressed by Buck.  He asks Troy to come to his senses and return to law school, but Troy is steadfast in his determination to do things his own way.

On the road, Buck and Troy meet a wide variety of people, such as Kenny and his sister Doreen.  When Kenny talks about his sister, he says, "She's great...my sister.  She's a genius...uh, very artistic...been married a whole bunch of times.  I mean...she's lived a glamorous life."  Troy smiles and replies, "Sounds like it."

Helping Buck rejuvenate his career means hiring a publicist, who comes in the form of Valerie Brennan, who is far from excited about working with Buck.

She does, however, get close to Troy, and the two begin a romantic relationship.  Valerie tells Troy how much she dislikes Buck and the way he treats his employees.  They tell each other their dreams and aspirations.

A big part of Buck's planned comeback is a large demonstration of his mentalist powers.  He plans to put eight hundred people to sleep simultaneously and then wake them up as if from the dead.  Valerie organizes a large press turnout for the event.  Buck is very excited at the start of the experiment.

Unfortunately for Buck, the entire press corps leaves right in the middle of the performance when they get word that Jerry Springer has been in a car accident.  No one but Valerie and Troy are there to witness Buck's success.

Buck is furious when he's finished with the stunt.  He tells Valerie and Troy that it's their fault the press left, and he promises to get Valerie fired from her job.

After the dressing down he gives them, Buck turns around and promptly faints from exhaustion.  The news coverage of his ambulance ride, however, revives interest in his career and flowers pour in from well wishers.

He also gets several guest spots on popular television shows.  He even gets to reconcile with old frenemy George Takei, and the two sing "What The World Needs Now Is Love".

Buck is eventually given a Las Vegas show.  He dazzles the audience with his feats of mentalism.

However, when it comes time for him to do his signature trick of finding his fee somewhere in the room, Buck comes up empty-handed for the first time in forty years.  The show is a flop, and all of Buck's dreams of making it in the big time again are dashed.

Valerie sends Troy a message for him to meet her.  She gets him a job with a new TV show as a writer.  Troy is thrilled to see her again.

One day, Troy sees an ad in the newspaper for Buck Howard's show.  He decides to attend as a member of the audience.

He enjoys the evening immensely from the perspective of an audience member.

When it comes time for the signature event, Troy is sure that Buck won't be able to find the money again.  Buck surprises him, however, when he finds it at what seems to be the last moment.

Troy smiles as he leaves the show, remembering his time with Buck and how it affected his life.

Cast rundown:

   John Malkovich........................................Buck Howard

   Colin Hanks.............................................Troy Gable

   Emily Blunt.............................................Valerie Brennan

   Tom Hanks..............................................Mr. Gable

   Steve Zahn..............................................Kenny

   Griffin Dunne...........................................Johnathan Finerman

   Debra Monk.............................................Doreen

   Adam Scott..............................................Alan Berkman

   Gary Coleman..........................................Himself

   Kimberly Scott.........................................Nurse

   Conan O'Brien..........................................Himself

   Jon Stewart.............................................Himself

   Regis Philbin............................................Himself

   Kelly Ripa................................................Herself

   George Takei............................................Himself

   Mary Hart................................................Herself

   Jay Leno..................................................Himself

   Sandy Martin...........................................Marie

   Martha Stewart........................................Herself

   Patrick Fischler.........................................Michael Perry

And that's it for The Great Buck Howard.  The character of Buck Howard was based on The Amazing Kreskin, a mentalist who was popular in the 1970s.  His signature trick was also finding his fee in the audience.  In 6,000 performances he only failed to find the money nine times.

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