The Great Buck Howard
The character of "Troy Gable" is based on director Sean McGinly's experiences as road manager for The Amazing Kreskin, on which The Great Buck Howard is loosely based.,The scene with the mass hypnosis, supposedly in Cincinnati, is clearly in the main lobby of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. The banner with Placido Domingo's name is even clearly seen hanging outside.,Buck Howard: That's distilled water. I'm not an iron.,Edited from The Jerry Springer Show (1991),What the World Needs Now
Written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach
Performed by John Malkovich,This was a very good comedy, well written and acted. The dialog was witty, the plot kept the pace going, and the character development was very good. Buck Howard (John Malkovich) is an "Amazing Kreskin" type magician who hires an assistant named Troy (Colin Hanks)to help him out while on the road, playing small venues in small towns. Troy is a law school dropout who decides to pursue a career in show business, against the wishes of his father (played by Tom Hanks in a brief role). Buck Howard had been a bigger star in the past, playing on Johnny Carson 61 times, but recently had been down on his luck.

Troy tells the story (Nick Carraway like) of Howard's life on the road, his unlikely comeback, and his fall back to earth. Along the way, we are introduced to Valerie, a publicity agent, excellently portrayed by Emily Blunt. Troy and Valerie become romantically involved, which makes Buck jealous, of whom specifically is unclear. Everyone in the movie seems curious as to Buck's sexual orientation: is he gay or not? Nobody knows for sure.

There were numerous cameo appearances by notable celebrities throughout the movie and Steve Zahn put in a hilarious performance as one of Buck's devoted fans.

This was a very funny movie, and I enjoyed it a lot. I'd recommend it to anyone who appreciates a good comedy.,