What Murphy is doing here, in fact, is so focused and inventive, I don't quite know what to call it. Comedy nouveau, perhaps?
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
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.
The movie's funny enough. But you can't help thinking it might be funnier.
The comedy is too frantically paced, and you can sense the cast trying hard — in some cases, too hard — in a futile effort to somehow elevate the erratic material to greatness.
Offers enough funny moments to appease audiences hungry for some decent laughs.
A very entertaining and inventive script tagged alongside some fresh and revived performances by Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin!
It assures Murphy's comeback as one of our most brilliant comic talents.
Murphy is able, with the help of writer and co-star Steve Martin, to create two completely different characters whose cumulative comic impact is overwhelming.
A mirthful comedy certain to send audiences into multiple spasms of laughter!
An amiable bundle of broad, easy laughs, rather than the bitingly fierce satire it might have been.
The whole business feels obvious, soft without being especially affectionate and only sporadically funny.
Murphy pulls a double shift as the mentally challenged Jiff. It's a role that could make or break the film, and Murphy brings to the party an infectious sense of humanity.
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