The Great Buck Howard keeps its focus on telling a quirky, character-driven story about a washed-up mentalist and his assistant, rather than shoehorning in identity politics. Characters are defined by their personalities and arcs, not by ticking off boxes for representation. There’s no sense of narrative being sacrificed for ideological messaging.

This film hardly touches on issues like religion, family, or traditional roles. When it does, it’s handled with a light touch and doesn’t undermine or mock these elements. Masculinity and generational differences are played for gentle laughs, not as targets for cultural revisionism. It’s refreshingly straightforward.

There’s little to suggest any sort of ideological monoculture. Characters are allowed to have quirks and flaws that don’t tie into hot-button contemporary issues. Dissenting or traditional perspectives aren’t villainized, instead, they’re just part of the story’s fabric.