The Great Buck Howard

"Greatness is a state of mind."

2008 1h 30m EN

😐

6.0

MID

🍅

70%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.0TMDB · 283🍅70%Rotten Tomatoes●63Metacritic★6.4IMDB · 14,854

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a law school dropout answers an advertisement to be a personal assistant he unknowingly signs on to work for a belligerent has-been magician struggling to resurrect his career. This leads to a journey across the country staging the comeback of a lifetime.

“Greatness is a state of mind.”

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Cast

John Malkovich
Buck Howard
Colin Hanks
Troy Gable
Emily Blunt
Valerie Brennan
Ricky Jay
Gil Bellamy
Steve Zahn
Kenny
Tom Hanks
Mr. Gable
Griffin Dunne
Jonathan Finerman
Debra Monk
Doreen

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sean McGinly
Writers: Sean McGinly
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sean McGinly, shot by Tak Fujimoto. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Blake Neely. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Myron Kerstein shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

John Malkovich and Colin Hanks and Emily Blunt carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Greatness is a state of mind.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0460810 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sean McGinly directs. Tak Fujimoto behind the camera. Blake Neely scores. Myron Kerstein cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 18 years ago.
3Directed by Sean McGinly, shot by Tak Fujimoto. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Blake Neely. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Myron Kerstein shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6John Malkovich and Colin Hanks and Emily Blunt carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Greatness is a state of mind.".
8IMDB entry: tt0460810 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.