Sundance Review: The Great Buck Howard is All Heart

The Great Buck Howard centers on Troy Gable (Colin Hanks) a young man, who after a few years of law school is still unsure about what it is that will actually make him happy. He flees law school and takes a job as a road manager for a has-been entertainer called, appropriately, "The Great Buck Howard" (John Malkovich). TGBH is famous for his 61 appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Troy finds himself enchanted by this strange mentalist, and against the urging of his father (Tom Hanks) he continues to work with Buck. A comeback is attempted, with the help of an opinionated publicist (Emily Blunt).

The story meanders through show after show, with brief cameos by a slew of entertainment has-beens, and through it all, Malkovich nails the charming, slightly smarmy Howard, who is irate and demanding at one moment, sincere and amiable the next. We are never quite sure whether the mentalist is in fact imbued with magical powers or simply relies on his powers of observation to entertain and intrigue. Hanks the Younger is capable and likable as Troy, and it is his solid support that allows Malkovich to shine all the brighter. Hot off the stunning success of Alvin and the Chipmunks, the ever-endearing Matthew Gray Gubler makes a sadly short appearance as a fellow road manager, but it is very likely that we shall be seeing much more of him in the coming months and years.

The film delivers a ton of laughs as we watch Troy wend through a world he does not quite know, with numerous missteps along the way. Overall, this is a delightful film with a lot of heart, yet the story simply does not support any kind of reasonable ending. But perhaps it is the getting-there that is of importance, and the reminder that sometimes it’s all right to believe in the impossible.

Grade: A-

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