“I predict at least an Oscar nomination for Malkovich for his great, original performance.  I loved this film.  Also terrific to see what happens behind the scenes.”

“Disappointing chemistry between Colin Hanks and Emily Blunt.  Maybe Malkovich is too much to play against, too bad.”

“Interesting film and main character.  John Malkovich was his usual wonderful, eccentric self and he portrayed Buck Howard as only he could as a complex, difficult and oh so interesting character.  Colin Hanks was wonderful too.”

“Pleasant coming of age movie.”

“Nice entertainment for an hour and half.”

“Sort of cute and sweet, but mediocre film.  A couple of  very funny moments: his rise to fame with the TV celebrities and that handshake!  What a good comedian John Malkovich turned out to be.  Colin Hanks was ok, but it’s not a stretch of a part that requires great acting.  This movie could have been a TV/Cable movie.”

“A great movie for the bad economy we are in the midst of.  The American dream and ‘always believe things will get better’ is portrayed here.  Light and refreshing and fun.”

“An acting tour de force for John Malkovich.  Who else could get away with a line like ‘I am not an iron.’”

“I enjoyed this film very much.  The Great Buck Howard was portrayed as an arrogant, yet vulnerable eccentric and so very normal.  He came alive for me.”

“Very well done, but for some reason I was not moved by this film.  I didn’t care for people who are fakes.”

“Sweet to see Colin Hanks with his dad, Tom.  Quite a wardrobe for Buck.  Malkovich is always interesting in the roles he chooses to inhabit.”

Decidedly lightweight but fun, and the Malkovich magic is finding a great performance even in a screenplay this thin. Hanks the younger underplays his role almost too much, has he seen any of his father’s early works?

“Entertaining and sweet.  I thought the film accomplished everything it set out to and it did it skillfully and effectively.”

“The whole gay question was interesting. Certainly the scene with George Takei made you wonder. And although his assistants were all pretty boys there was no further exploration of the subject. In fact, they went out of their way to show one of the former assistants liked large women.”

“Not so great!”

A rock-solid, been-told-before story of a kid seeking his dream somewhere else besides law school (See Sherman’s Way from several weeks ago) but the Kreskin character is wonderfully realized by Malkovich.

“Powerful performance by Malkovich.

“I’d give a 6. I’d dance to it, but I wouldn’t buy it.  An old fashioned, ultimately unsatisfying movie with an over-the-top performance by Malkovich (what a surprise!) and the dangling future of Colin Hanks.  However, I do love mentalists and close-up magician shows.  On my first honeymoon, my first husband took me to see Kreskin, wow!”

“Entertaining, interesting period of time that was more simple.  I liked it very much.”

“The great John Malkovich!  He was good, the movie was ok.  Colin Hanks needs to keep looking for his calling!”

“John Malkovich is a force!  From ‘TRUE WEST’ to ‘THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD’ he’s up to the challenge.  The film was entertaining, it a bit stretched out and the Hanks men are decorative.”

“Great fun!”

“Very engaging and holds interest for all 90 minutes.”