Steve Martin fans will get a kick out of this one! Eddie Murphy fans probably won't
Bowfinger (1999)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:107
Fresh:85
Rotten:22
Average Rating:7/10
Consensus: A witty commentary on modern film-making, with enough jokes to keep it entertaining throughout.
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: When never-has-been director Bobby Bowfinger (Steve Martin) finds a movie script he's convinced will take him to the Oscars, he'll do anything to get the movie made--including lying to his actors,... When never-has-been director Bobby Bowfinger (Steve Martin) finds a movie script he's convinced will take him to the Oscars, he'll do anything to get the movie made--including lying to his actors, "borrowing" film and equipment from a major studio, and coercing border-jumping Mexicans to be his camera crew. With a budget of only $2,000 and no Hollywood clout, Bowfinger can only get backing by casting famous action star Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy). When the actor turns down the offer, Bowfinger stages elaborate scenes where his overly eager actors approach Kit, say their lines, and run off while Bowfinger films it, making Kit the unwitting star of the movie. Meanwhile, these strange encounters cause the already edgy actor to become even more anxious, building toward a complete nervous breakdown that might jeopardize the film's big finale. Gleefully spoofing Hollywood staples such as promiscuous actresses, Scientology, sleazy producers, and empty promises, the film celebrates the magic of the movies as much as it pokes fun at it. Director Frank Oz wisely gives free rein to screenwriter Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy, who turns in not one but two winning performances as Kit Ramsey and his goofy look-alike named Jiff. A meeting of great comic minds, BOWFINGER is a Tinsel Town-skewering delight. [More]
Starring: Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Heather Graham, Robert Downey
Starring: Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Heather Graham, Robert Downey, Christine Baranski, Jamie Kennedy, Terence Stamp
Director: Frank Oz
Director: Frank Oz
Screenwriter: Steve Martin
Producer: Brian Grazer
Composer: David Newman
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Reviews for Bowfinger
As a diehard Martin fan, I'm still hoping for a comeback, but it'll take better efforts than this to get me back in his cheering section.
Mr. Murphy chews the scenery every chance he gets and it recalls what made him such a star in the first place.
Bowfinger isn't quite the deliriously slap-happy farce it wants to be, but Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy generate just enough laughs to keep you watching it.
With its highly original, clever and well-paced script, Bowfinger scams edgy but light-hearted laughs from 'Action!' to wrap.
Hugely funny film that mixes knowing satire with winning stupidity, and has Martin and Murphy in form they have rarely managed in recent years.
An amiable bundle of broad, easy laughs, rather than the bitingly fierce satire it might have been.
The movie reaches giddy, cartoonish heights, even while it carefully dodges any chance to move beyond skin-deep.
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