The Great Buck Howard

Troy Gable has just walked away from law school in Los Angeles and has no clear idea what to do next. Answering an ad for a personal assistant, he is hired by Buck Howard, a mentalist whose heyday in the 1960s and 1970s is long behind him. Buck now plays half-empty venues in small American towns, closing his act by recovering his fee from wherever it has been hidden in the audience, and he greets each stop with the same enthusiastic declaration. Troy, doubtful about Buck's abilities but eager for a change from his ordinary life, joins the tour, and the two travel the country together while Buck chases a return to the spotlight. The arrangement also puts Troy at odds with his father, who disapproves of the career his son has chosen.

Sean McGinly wrote and directed the film, which runs 90 minutes and was produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman. John Malkovich plays Buck, with Colin Hanks as Troy, Emily Blunt as Valerie Brennan, Steve Zahn as Kenny and Tom Hanks as Mr. Gable, among a credited cast of 32. On IMDb the film holds a critics' rating of 6.4/10 from 95 reviews, while on TMDB it sits at 6/10 from 281 votes. Both figures point to a modestly received comedy rather than a widely praised one, with professional critics rating it slightly higher than the audience does.