The Great Buck Howard, 2008

This movie tells but doesn't show that The Great Buck Howard, the mentalist with a side of cheese, had an undeniable stage charm. I kept waiting for this movie to become interesting, or at least get a payoff at the end where I found myself in as much awe as the road manager who tells the story. There was no such payoff, perhaps because the movie us is supposed to be loosely based on the life of the Amazing Kreskin, and they had to stick to just the facts, right? But if they were trying to stick to the script of the Amazing Kreskin's life, what was the point of changing the name to a fictional protagonist? The Great Buck Howard is neither a master trickster like Frank Abagnale in Catch Me If You Can (a decent movie) or an intellectual anomaly like George Malley in Phenomenon (a great movie). Or is he? You never actually find out, or even get much fuel for speculation. Buck Howard sometimes acts like a complete binghead but unfortunately not a funny, over-the=top one like Bertram Pincus in Ghost Town (another decent movie). Eventually the movie seems to care more about the love story of his road manager, who tells the story and who is played by Colin Hanks. The cameos with Colin's real-life father Tom Hanks are the only bright spot. There are also some wasted cameos with with Jon Stewart, Martha Stewart and others.

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