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The Great Buck Howard

Play trailer Poster for The Great Buck Howard PG 2009 1h 30m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
70% Tomatometer 94 Reviews 49% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Defying his father and dropping out of law school, aspiring writer Troy Gable looks for a way to gain some meaningful life experience. Troy gets that and more when he takes a job with Buck Howard, a vainglorious mentalist who hopes to reinvigorate his fading career by staging a big comeback.
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The Great Buck Howard

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Critics Consensus

By turns fluffy and biting, this show biz comedy is given girth by comic heavyweight John Malkovich and made all the more charming by Emily Blunt.

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Critics Reviews

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Leo Goldsmith IndieWire Aug 8, 2009
Malkovich's titular mentalist is the primary focus of attention%u2014and sadly the source of many of the film's unique problems. In a career of strange performances, Malkovich turns in a true curiosity here%u2014and maybe it's because he is not, for once, Go to Full Review Jonathan F. Richards Film.com Apr 9, 2009
This is not a rare movie, but it does have a warm red center. It's likable, and its appeal grows as it recovers from a shaky start and finds its footing. Go to Full Review Amy Biancolli Houston Chronicle Apr 3, 2009
3/4
A modest snapshot of a performer. Go to Full Review Kathy Fennessy Seattle Film Blog Jul 20, 2024
3/4
Produced by Tom Hanks's Playtone banner, The Great Buck Howard follows the rise, fall, and rise template of many Hanks productions (see Starter for Ten and his own That Thing You Do!), but [Sean] McGinly handles a large cast with ease. Go to Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Dec 2, 2023
2.5/4
The film’s light comedy is very light, inspiring chuckles right through without ever making us weep for the characters or bust a gut from laughter. Go to Full Review Felicia Feaster Charleston City Paper Jan 27, 2020
The Great Buck Howard has a pleasantly rueful approach. Instead of the scatological humor in raucous bromances like I Love You, Man, The Great Buck Howard offers a more low-key thoughtfulness about how success is defined. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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bob C @RT46426964 6 days ago Unless you know the magician of the 1970s on which this is based, it’s a puzzle. JM has the odd moment but has little to play with See more Robert P @Superbad Oct 10, 2026 The Great Buck Howard is a 3 star Movie! See more Teddy S @Teddy_S Aug 30, 2026 A warm, amusing, gentle film. Didn't expect to like it as much as I did. It won't blow your socks off but I found it very endearing. Malkovich's performance is nice and there's a bunch of fun cameos. See more Laurance M @RT95298844 Jul 24, 2026 How could you not like this movie? Movies are supposed to be entertaining and this one is. And it's offbeat and full of surprise star cameos. If you want to look for deep meanings and life lessons sure you will find that as well. But the John Malkovich performance alone holds it all together and makes it a sure enjoyable watch. See more David S. @dstreusand Apr 5, 2026 Malkovich was great! Good movie about the entertainment business and the struggle to be successful. See more Steve D @RT35616104 Oct 7, 2023 The cast is all it has. See more Read all reviews
The Great Buck Howard

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Cast & Crew

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Sean McGinly

Director

John Malkovich

Buck Howard

Colin Hanks

Troy Gable

Emily Blunt

Valerie Brennan

Steve Zahn

Kenny

Tom Hanks

Mr. Gable

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The Great Buck Howard

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The Great Buck Howard

The Great Buck Howard (2008) The Great Buck Howard (2008) The Great Buck Howard (2008) (L-R) Colin Hanks as Troy and Steve Zahn as Kenny in "The Great Buck Howard." (L-R) Colin Hanks as Troy and Griffin Dunne as Johnathan Finerman in "The Great Buck Howard." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Defying his father and dropping out of law school, aspiring writer Troy Gable looks for a way to gain some meaningful life experience. Troy gets that and more when he takes a job with Buck Howard, a vainglorious mentalist who hopes to reinvigorate his fading career by staging a big comeback.
Director
Sean McGinly
Producer
Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman
Screenwriter
Sean McGinly
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Production Co
Playtone Productions
Rating
PG (Suggestive Remarks|Some Language|A Drug Reference)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 20, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 22, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA)
$748.4K
Runtime
1h 30m
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