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Christine Baranski, Eddie Murphy, Heather Graham

Bobby Bowfinger is a shameless wannabe film producer, who is desperate to break into the Hollywood big-time in spite of the fact that he's broke and unconnected. His plans are thwarted when he is unab...( read more  read more... )le to land Hollywood's hottest action star, Kit Ramsey for the lead roll in his movie. Undaunted, Bowfinger decides to make the film with Ramsey anyway, except that Kit won't know he's in it. Determined, Bowfinger and his motley crew surreptitiously stalk their unwitting star through the streets of Los Angeles. They film Kit's every move and trap him in scenes he doesn't know he is in, turning Kit's life into a paranoid nightmare, as Bowfinger's crazy schemes become more and more outrageous.

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49% liked it

66,876 ratings

Critics

79% liked it

107 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: Frank Oz

Release Date: August 13, 1999

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DVD Release Date: January 18, 2000

Stats: 2,019 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,019)

  • SirPant
    September 23, 2009
    SirPant
    I think this film might just be the last time we see Eddie Murphy & Steve Martin being funny.
  • QueenCityFilms
    July 6, 2009
    QueenCityFilms
    More people need to see this and love this. NOW

    Just rewatched this badboy finally last night...holds up quite nicely. While the script has its fare share of brilliant satirical moments (lampooning Hollywood nicely)...the concept as a whole does get a bit too ridiculous. But ...( read more)shwatever, the movie still rocks and rolls. Excellent long shots by Frankie OZ. Love this tiny little GEM.
  • DrZeek
    December 4, 2008
    DrZeek
    Bowfinger: Did you know that Tom Cruise didn't know he was in that vampire movie until two years later?

    I love movies about the making of movies, like Get Shorty, Ed Wood, The Last Shot, and this movie.

    Steve Martin wrote this movie about an unsuccessful filmmaker who gets a g...( read more)ood script, but with no connections, decides to make the movie, using a big star, without this star knowing he's in the movie.

    Dave: But movies cost millions of dollars to make.
    Bowfinger: That's after gross net deduction profit percentage deferment ten percent of the nut. Cash, every movie cost $2,184.

    Eddie Murphy is this star, in one of his best roles. He plays an egocentric movie star who is also subject to paranoia and depends on a Scientology-like group to help him get by.

    Kit: The letter K appears in this script 1,456 times. That's perfectly divisible by 3.
    Freddy: So what? So what you saying?
    Kit: What am I saying? KKK appears in this script 486 times!

    Murphy also plays another one of his best roles in this movie, as the star's brother, Jif, who gets involved in Bowfinger's film.

    Bowfinger: Do you have any experience in motion pictures?
    Jiff Ramsey: Uh, well, yeah, quite a bit, actually, I have quite a bit of experience. I'm an active, uh, renter at Blockbuster, and I, um, attend the filmed cinema, uh, as much as possible, weekly, bi-weekly, inter-week-... intermediately.
    Bowfinger: Would you be willing to cut your hair?
    Jiff Ramsey: [sighs] Oh, yes, but, uh, it's usually better if someone else does it. I've had a few... accidents.

    This is a very funny movie, that combines a lot of Hollywood satire, with a fun well written story about a bunch of wannabe's trying to make the big time.

    Director Frank Oz uses this story, its cast, which also includes supporting performances from Heather Graham, Jaime Kennedy, Christine Baranski, and Terrance Stamp, and the improv skills of both Martin and Murphy to make for a funny movie with many memorable scenes.

    Kit Ramsey: Gotcha Suckers!
  • Collegekid
    July 13, 2008
    Collegekid
    This shamefully overlooked comedy had the unfortunate timing of opening a week after "The Sixth Sense," which stole publicity from every other movie in the marketplace for months. The title character is a desperate two-bit movie director (played by Steve Martin) who needs the wor...( read more)ld's biggest movie star (played by Murphy) to appear in his film for financing. When the actor disagrees, Bowfinger decides to shoot the movie around him anyway and fill in the rest of the scenes with a nerdy look-alike stunt double (also played by Murphy). Both comedians are at the top of their game here in this decidedly adult departure from their career resurgence kiddie streaks. The scene in which Murphy crosses the freeway (the movie's production budget is too small for stunt drivers or special effects) is one of the funnier moments in recent film memory.
  • Chiefilms
    March 4, 2008
    Chiefilms
    Underrated comedy about making independent movies, great film.
  • martinberntsson
    October 18, 2009
    martinberntsson
    Semi-decent fun with steve Martin and Eddie Murphy
    It could be worse
  • CocoCoopah
    September 26, 2009
    CocoCoopah
    *shudders* Eddie Murphy with braces XD

    This made me LOL
  • studmuffin0681
    September 19, 2009
    studmuffin0681
    A down on his luck movie producer sets out to make his first big hit with a crew of every day people and an actor who does not even know he is in the movie.

    starring Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Heather Graham, Christine Baranski, Terence Stamp, Jamie Kennedy, Barry Newman, Adam ...( read more)Alexi-Malle, Kohl Sudduth, Alejandro Patino and Robert Downey, Jr.

    directed by Frank Oz.
  • Maic0
    August 30, 2009
    Maic0
    Probably the last good thing that both Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy did. After this, they have produced some really rubbish films and it's a real shame when you look back at what they made before and I just don't understand what went wrong.
    I'm not much of an Eddie Murphy fan, i...( read more)n fact as a person I hate him and i've never really been fond of his films, but Steve Martin is brilliant and I just wish he would make something that was genuinely funny again because he is an extremely talented comedian.
    Bowfinger is about a down and out film director played by Martin. He's nearly middle age and is yet to make a good film that people enjoy. When a script about aliens comes his way he sees it as his last chance to achieve what he's wanted since he was a child. The catch is that the film producer, played by Robert Downey Jr, will only agree to it if he can get the biggest action star around, Kit Ramsey, played by Murphy, to take the lead role. Bowfinger tries to get Kit to agree to it but he's not interested. So instead of give up, Bowfinger decides to star Kit in the film by filming him secretly and setting him up into the scenes of the movie. He tells his crew of actors and camera guys that this is just the way that Kit would like to make the film.
    The premise is bloody stupid. The film they are making sounds like it would be along the lines of Ed Wood style and yet Bowfinger in convinced it is Oscar worthy stuff. The film is daft, but you'll be hard pushed not to laugh at what goes on.
    Steve Martin is at his funniest and watching this film brings back memories of the good old days when Martin could just make a face and it would floor you.
    Murphy plays Kit really well. Kit is a paranoid superstar who regularly attends Mindhead meetings. I love that part of the film because it's so obviously a dig at Scientology. And my favourite line in the whole film is where Bowfinger just stops himself short of saying Mindfuck to the head of the company. It's just so expertly done.
    Murphy also plays the character of Jif who is Kit's double in the film, so Bowfinger can get shots Kit wouldn't do. He's the complete opposite of Kit. He has braces, he wears odd clothes and he talks like he has a mental disability. I've never really liked the fact that Murphy's ego is so large he doesn't believe that it is necessary to have other cast members when he can just play everyone. But in this it works really well and it isn't over played like it is in his other films.
    Robert Downey Jr only gets about three scenes in total, but I love him so much I had to mention him. His first scene is very good as he's brilliant with the cool, calm and collected characters.
    Heather Graham plays my favourite characters in the film. She arrives fresh off the bus from Ohio as this little naive country girl and it is just so funny to watch her character develop and reveal who she really is throughout the movie. The way she manipulates all of the people around her is just classic and her last scene/line or whatever is just great writing.
    Obviously I think you should see this film. If you've not already you should and it'll bring back nice memories of a time when Steve Martin was funny.
  • stormyweather980
    August 15, 2009
    stormyweather980
    While I was watching "Bowfinger," I was expecting it to be just a good comedy movie like most Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy movies. I was part right and part wrong. Steve Martin is a struggling filmmaker who wants to make a movie with action star Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy). Mr. Bo...( read more)wfinger, (Steve Martin), develops a scheme in which he will make the movie with Kit as its main star by finding Kit at various locations and filming him without him knowing it.
    Parts of "Bowfinger" are funny such as when Kit keeps hearing some footsteps and starts getting scared, not knowing that it's just a dog wearing two shoes that's being instructed by Mr. Bowfinger to walk or run. My only complaint is that the movie wasn't as funny as I thought it was gonna be, but it is real entertaining. If you're a Steve Martin or Eddie Murphy fan, I do recommend watching "Bowfinger." You probably won't be disappointed. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. I for one was very disappointed, especially for a Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin movie, even back then. But other people seemed to really like it, so I gave it a more favorable rating then than I would now or should have then.

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Critic Reviews

January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Martin is also at the top of his form! full review

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Bowfinger Trivia

  • He supplied the voices of Donkey in Shrek and Mushu in Mulan2, and has held main roles in movies like the nutty proffessor in 1996, the 2003 Haunted Manison and was in the 1999 movie bowfinger who is he?  Answer »
  • Which actor is in the following: *Cheaper by the dozen *The Pink Panther *Bringing down the House *Bowfinger  Answer »
  • In which film do Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin co-star?  Answer »
  • Which Actor Was: -Jacques Clouseau In The Pink Panther -Tom Baker In Cheaper By the Dozen -Peter Sanderson In Bringing Down The House -Bobby Bowfinger In Bowfinger -Ray Porter In Shopgirl  Answer »
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