
Once upon a time, Buck Howard (John
Malkovich) spent his days in the limelight. His
mind-boggling feats as a mentalist extraordinaire – not to
be confused with those of a mere magician - earned him a
marquee act in Vegas and 61 appearances on Johnny Carson’s
Tonight Show. In his own humble opinion, his talents go far
beyond simple sleight of hand – he can read minds and
hypnotize not just a single soul but an entire room of
people! But nowadays, it’s clear to everyone but Buck that
his act has lost its luster; he performs in faded community
centers and hasn’t sold out a theater in years.
Yet, with a hearty handshake and a trademark “I love this
town!,” Buck Howard perseveres, confident in his own
celebrity, convinced his comeback is imminent. He just needs
a new road manager and personal assistant. As it turns out,
recent law school drop-out and unemployed, would-be writer
Troy Gable (Colin Hanks) needs a job and a purpose. Working
for the pompous, has-been mentalist fills the former
requirement, but how it satisfies the latter is
questionable, especially to his father (Tom Hanks), who
still assumes Troy is in law school. Nonetheless, with the
aid of a fiery publicist (Emily Blunt) and a bold stroke of
fate, Buck surprisingly lands back into the American
consciousness, taking Troy along for the ride of his life.
As the coveted spotlight again shines on the great Buck
Howard, Buck becomes the unlikeliest of teachers as Troy
learns a few tricks he couldn’t possibly have picked up in
law school.
© Magnolia Pictures. All
rights reserved
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