Tom Hanks has slowed his output as an actor. He didn’t appear in anything in 2008, Charlie Wilson’s War was his only movie in 2007, and The Da Vinci Code was all he gave us in 2007. Otherwise, he’s been producing Big Love and about 1,000 specials on the Greatest Generation.

That’s for the best, since Hanks was seriously in the nation’s grill for about ten years. He was starting to come across as smug and overexposed, but now that he’s dialing it down, I can actually get enthusiastic when he turns up in a supporting role in a quirky ensemble film. A film like The Great Buck Howard.

After the jump, let’s peep the trailer and see if the rest of the movie looks as palatable as a return from Captain Castaway.

The Movie: The Great Buck Howard (opening March 20)

The Buzz: It’s been over a year since this movie got a nice response at Sundance, so the delayed release could mean it’s actually not so great. Or it could mean the film got stuck in the system and is finally getting the attention it deserves. At the very least, the strong cast—Hanks, his son Colin, John Malkovich, Emily Blunt—deserves attention.

The Trailer:

The Review: You know what? I’m in. Sure, I’m hesitant about the surge of meta-celebrity references at the end of the trailer—do we really need more winking cameos from talk show hosts?—but it seems like this movie could be droll and diverting. I’m especially intrigued that Malkovich is playing what appears to be a nice guy. Buck Howard seems a little crazy, yes, which puts him in line with every other Malkovich role, but he also seems charming, likable, and non-stalkerish. For Malkovich, that’s a stretch. Can he play a character who’s sweetly clueless instead of psychotic? We’ll see!

Bonus points go to the “toss my salad” joke. You’ve got to respect a preview that drops a gem like that on us and then continues to imply it’s promoting a quality picture and not the latest Jason Friedberg/Aaron Seltzer debacle.

The Rating: 3 Portals Into Malkvoich’s Brain