The Great Buck Howard
Director: Sean McGinly
Year Released: 2008
Rating: 1.0
Painfully familiar setup, humdrum execution: doe-eyed Son of Tom Hanks (Colin, aggressively generic) leaves law school to pursue job as road assistant for difficult has-been mentalist/magician (John Malkovich) much to the dismay of Pop (producer Tom Hanks, in cameo role), but learns a valuable lesson about following one's dream in life in the process. It takes a special kind of screenplay and a special kind of director to make a generally magnetic Malkovich this boorish, but McGinly is just the man for the job - Emily Blunt pops in to show off her American accent and adorably pale English skin before strolling off-screen just as quickly. Malkovich's on-stage wizardry (guessing numbers, figuring out where money is hidden in the audience, poorly playing and singing Burt Bacharach) is based on The Amazing Kreskin, who supports the film despite insisting he is not a grouch off-stage.
