In the peripherals of Los Angeles lies an army of workers who are the lubricant of the star-making machine known as Hollywood. For the purposes of this review we are going to call them personal assistants. You’ll find them running errands, booking flights, setting up meetings, and basically dealing with a lot of crap. A personal assistant is expected to be loyal, discreet, tireless, and most of the time, invisible. But no matter how many confidentiality contracts are signed, sometimes the things you see are just too good to ignore. So you change the names, make it more fiction, than fact, and when you are done, you have an incredible story.
The Great Buck Howard is the tale of a young man played by Colin Hanks, who does everything his parents tell him to until one day, in the middle of Law School, he realizes that he is miserable. He drops out, without telling them, moves to Los Angeles and becomes a road manager to the Great Buck Howard, a mentalist that has appeared on the Tonight Show 61 times with Johnny Carson. In other words, a performer, whose glory days are behind him.
There is something noble about the Great Buck Howard, as portrayed by John Malkovich. He is cheesy, old-fashioned, but he truly loves what he does. Whether his audience is filled with 60 people, or 600, he’s still going to put on a good show. He is there to entertain, and no matter how dusty his act is, the man has got skills.
In the story, Colin Hanks is about to resign because he has become fed up with the indignities of being a personal assistant. His father, played by real life father Tom Hanks, has discovered his new vocation and surprises him while on the road. After hearing for the hundredth time how he is wasting his potential, he is about to quit, when the unthinkable thing happens, Buck Howard becomes cool again.
This is a small, personal film that I liked very much. It may not resonate with everyone, because there are a lot of Showbiz references, but I do recommend seeing it. There is a sweetness and nostalgic quality to this film that is quite nice. It would be the perfect film for a matinee, followed by lunch. Invite someone that remembers Johnny Carson.
Rating: Bargain Matinee Invite the parents to this movie and lunch, then discuss
About Me
- Melanie Wilson
- My Reviewer's Philosophy: I believe that every film has its audience. One man’s Citizen Kane is another man’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre. My purpose is to help you spend your entertainment dollars wisely. A bad review never kept me from going to a film I wanted to see, but a good review will sometimes get me to a film I never considered. As a movie lover I want you to go to the movies. When more people go to the movies, the more movies get made. But, I also believe that if you enjoy the films you see, you naturally will be inclined to go more often. So join me in supporting our film industry by going to a movie today. Hopefully I can steer you towards a good one. See you at the movies. Melanie Wilson
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment