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Movies / On DVD / Bowfinger
Bowfinger

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Bowfinger (1999)

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79 %
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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

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jun 6, 2000

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Bowfinger

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61 - 80 (sorted by date)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

What Murphy is doing here, in fact, is so focused and inventive, I don't quite know what to call it. Comedy nouveau, perhaps?

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jay Boyar
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel

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.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The movie's funny enough. But you can't help thinking it might be funnier.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeff Millar
Jeff Millar
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Offers enough funny moments to appease audiences hungry for some decent laughs.

Full Review Source: Screen It! | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jim Judy
Jim Judy
Screen It!

A very entertaining and inventive script tagged alongside some fresh and revived performances by Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin!

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
01/01/00
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

Richly amusing!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Joe Leydon
Joe Leydon
MSNBC

The results are hysterical.

Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jon Popick
Jon Popick
Planet Sick-Boy

It assures Murphy's comeback as one of our most brilliant comic talents.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jonathan Foreman
Jonathan Foreman
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Pleasant, but not terribly original.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Keith Simanton
Keith Simanton
Seattle Times

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.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A mirthful comedy certain to send audiences into multiple spasms of laughter!

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
01/01/00
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There’s a sweet side to Bowfinger that keeps such satire light.

Full Review Source: Nitrate Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
KJ Doughton
KJ Doughton
Nitrate Online

An amiable bundle of broad, easy laughs, rather than the bitingly fierce satire it might have been.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

Bitingly funny but tolerant, bemused rather than bitter!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Bowfinger is a smart and often hysterical film!

comment Comment
01/01/00
M. Meghan McCarthy
M. Meghan McCarthy
TNT's Rough Cut

No review available.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Madeleine Williams
Madeleine Williams
Cinematter

The whole business feels obvious, soft without being especially affectionate and only sporadically funny.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

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.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

Blowfinger is one of the worst movies of the year!

Full Review Source: MovieJuice! | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mark Ramsey
Mark Ramsey
MovieJuice!
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
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