The Great Buck Howard
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: March 20, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
10
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
The Great Buck Howard is in love with kitsch, the backwaters of showbiz, and true magic. It's a wee charmer that left me enchanted. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
I firmly believe such illusions are never the result of psychic powers, but I am fascinated by them, anyway. The wisdom of this film, directed and written by Sean McGinly, is to never say. Read full review
88
PremierePatrick Parker
You might not bust a gut laughing, but Malkovich’s performance alone is worth the 90-minutes required to watch it. Read full review
88
USA TodayClaudia Puig
A bit of a throwback, a nostalgic, easygoing Capra-esque comedy that should appeal to both youthful and older audiences. Read full review
80
Film ThreatDon R. Lewis
A fine little comedy and a hilarious character study of an ego gone wild. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
A small-scale charmer that provides a tailor-made role for Malkovich, who is always fun to watch. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter Addiego
Doesn't allow the story's considerable nostalgia and sentimentality to overwhelm it. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineCraig Butler
Buck is a very audience-friendly film, provided that the audience is willing to let itself be taken along for a fairly manipulative ride. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
Consistently good as long as it centers on Buck and his seriocomic travails. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDuane Byrge
A warm, amiable glimpse at the end of the showbiz road. Read full review
70
VarietyJustin Chang
Behind-the-curtains comedy reps an amusing showcase for John Malkovich's diva-like theatrics in the title role. Read full review
70
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Hanks is extremely understated, but his passivity works: as the son of a superstar, he may have realized that Troy’s role is simply to observe and reflect his boss’s glory. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
The story is slight and somewhat less than engaging, despite nice supporting turns from Emily Blunt and Ricky Jay. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Like its main character, the production rarely seems ready for prime time. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Like Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler," Malkovich plays a star long past his glory days in The Great Buck Howard, but continuing to do the only thing he knows. The tone of the two films couldn't be less alike, but the story arc of the central characters graphs the same. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesBetsy Sharkey
An affectionate though flawed comedy. Read full review
60
The New York TimesStephen Holden
An agreeable show business satire with a warm heart. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Buck Howard has a nice feel for its tacky, second-rate show-business milieu--a rinky-dink world of telethons, small towns starved for entertainment, and entertainers whose careers have been in freefall since Hollywood Squares went off the air. Read full review
50
The New YorkerAnthony Lane
The only person who wakes the movie from its slumbers is Emily Blunt. She gets a nothing role as a publicist, and makes something both sultry and casual out of it. Read full review
50
Village VoiceElla Taylor
Malkovich swallows up the screen, and when he's out of frame, the movie feels slack and slow. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
This is an old man's movie, without an old man's experience. Despite McGinly's stated affection for Kreskin (the movie ends with a written appreciation of him), there's nothing personal about it. It's the movie equivalent of handing us a business card. Read full review
50
Washington PostDan Zak
Malkovich has a role that coulda-woulda-shoulda been a sensation if he had had a different director and different co-stars. Read full review
50
NPRBob Mondello
Laughs? Schmaltz? Life lessons? They're all there in Sean McGinly's pleasantly lackadaisical script, but not in such abundance that they seem reason enough to see the film. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
The greatest problem with The Great Buck Howard is that writer/director McGinly shapes the story with young Troy as the protagonist, when the really interesting character is the one for whom the movie is named. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
A suitable mainstream vehicle for Malkovich's bruised aloofness. Read full review
More From This Movie

63 Critic Reviews

7.1 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 71 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL