In this season of movies such as “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” in which the real star is flashy special effects, “The Great Buck Howard” is a welcome relief.
Part showbiz tale and part coming-of-age story, it’s one of those quiet little pictures that spin a good yarn and warm the heart.

John Malkovich stars in the title role, that of a performer who has outlived his glory days. A “Tonight Show” regular in the distant past, Buck has been relegated to shopworn, half-empty halls in the likes of Akron, Ohio, and Wassau, Wisconsin.

Though his feats thrill and baffle, Buck is careful to point out that he is not a magician but a “mentalist.” Think The Amazing Kreskin, to whom writer-
director Sean McGinly has dedicated his film. Buck’s dependable show-stopper is to invariably find his cash fee after it has been hidden by someone in the audience.

Rumors of trickery have abounded for years, but Buck insists he does it by fierce concentration alone and no one has proven otherwise.

The story is narrated by young Troy Gabel, who is Buck’s road manager. Troy took the job as a first step in discovering what he wants to do with his life.
That’s the coming-of-age part of the movie. Troy dropped out of law school to join Buck, causing his dad to come down with a severe case of parental disappointment. Troy and his father are played, respectively, by Colin Hanks and his real-life dad, Tom.

The remaining principal role is that of Valerie, a young public relations woman who arranges interviews for Howard and periodically visits Troy’s hotel bed to help him come of age. She’s ably portrayed by Emily Blunt.

The supporting cast is fine, but “The Great Buck Howard” is Malkovich’s movie and he devours it whole.

His Buck Howard is an inveterate showman, but far more perceptive and self-aware than those around him know. The part grants full range to the skills that make the actor’s screen presence so compelling. His achievement is to do it without succumbing to the part’s many opportunities to go over the line.

“I love this town!” Buck exclaims at every stop. By movie’s end, you believe he means it.