Bowfinger (1999)

80% of critics liked it
(108 reviews)
50% of users liked it
(71,254 ratings)

A group of wanna-be filmmakers and actors concocts a scheme to make a movie with a major star without having to pay him in this comedy. Bobby Bowfinger (Steve Martin) has struggled for years to make it in Hollywood with no real success; he's convinced that he has to make his big break soon or it… More A group of wanna-be filmmakers and actors concocts a scheme to make a movie with a major star without having to pay him in this comedy. Bobby Bowfinger (Steve Martin) has struggled for years to make it in Hollywood with no real success; he's convinced that he has to make his big break soon or it will be too late. Bobby has a script, and he has a cast, including an ingenue straight off the bus from Ohio (Heather Graham), a one-time regional stage star who fondly recalls her brief moment of glory (Christine Baranski), and a hunky aspiring matinee idol (Kohl Sudduth). He also has a young associate named Dave (Jamie Kennedy), who has a low-level job at a movie studio as a gofer -- which means that he has keys to every part of the lot and can "borrow" whatever they need. All they need is a star, but without any money, how do they get one? Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy) is a leading action star, and he is obviously beyond Bowfinger's budget. But Bobby has an idea: what if he tricked Kit into appearing in the film without his knowing it? Steve Martin also wrote the film's screenplay, and former Muppets performer Frank Oz directs. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: Frank Oz
Written By: Steve Martin
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 13, 1999 Wide
On DVD: Jan 18, 2000
Studio: Universal Studios

Critic Reviews

Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
The best thing about Bowfinger is the way the script by Steve Martin is tooled to his own and Murphy's comic strengths.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
This is enjoyable but thin, which is no doubt what was intended.
Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle
Martin the writer plants some wicked barbs in Hollywood's rear end about creative financing of movies and hoarding of profits, the art of the deal, hipper-than-thou attitudes and exploitation.
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
This is his first screenplay since L.A. Story, yet you get the sense that Martin has lost some of the artistic aspiration he once brought to the movie business. This effort feels like it's just business.
J. Hoberman, Village Voice
Bowfinger never hits a note of high hilarity.
Jonathan Foreman, New York Post
It assures Murphy's comeback as one of our most brilliant comic talents.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Entertaining, great actors but not a home run.
Mark Morris, Film4
Hugely funny film that mixes knowing satire with winning stupidity, and has Martin and Murphy in form they have rarely managed in recent years.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
A showcase for wit.
Joe Lozito, Big Picture Big Sound
Mr. Murphy chews the scenery every chance he gets and it recalls what made him such a star in the first place.
Guy MacPherson, Apollo Guide
There is a solid little collection of extras on the disc.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Murphy is wonderful ... The plot is mechanical, clunky and boring.
, Time Out
Preposterous and utterly self-absorbed, this has la-la land down to a tee.
Ron Wells, Film Threat
Just watch two of the still funniest guys in the country do what they do best, without a bad script to get in the way.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
You'll laugh 'til you stop!
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer
This all has the potential to become a sidesplitting caper. ... Unfortunately, only a few of the manic scenes work.
Dragan Antulov, rec.arts.movies.reviews
[An] entertaining little comedy that should be forgiven for not living to its potential.
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
It's lively and frequently funny -- but why does it leave such a sour aftertaste?
Leonard Schwarz, Palo Alto Weekly
Lest the movie get too saccharine (and it never does), Eddie Murphy is on hand to juice things up.
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
Hilarious.

Read all 22 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jeff "

Bowfinger is a terrific comedy film. Steve Martin delivers a great performance. I'm usually not a big fan of Eddie Murphy, but in this film he truly is hilarious and gives one terrific performance. A unique comedy, Bowfinger is different from other comedies. The humour is smart,… More
Bowfinger is a terrific comedy film. Steve Martin delivers a great performance. I'm usually not a big fan of Eddie Murphy, but in this film he truly is hilarious and gives one terrific performance. A unique comedy, Bowfinger is different from other comedies. The humour is smart, and the acting is great. Which is something that won't appeal to many film viewers, but to those who love this type of humour, give this film a view. The films story is very original, and Martin and Murphy give hilarious performances.
Conner R

I actually think this is a great movie, it's Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy at the top of their game. Neither have made a better movie since, only making this look like even more of a gem. The movie within a movie aspect is done perfectly, I almost want to see a full version of… More
I actually think this is a great movie, it's Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy at the top of their game. Neither have made a better movie since, only making this look like even more of a gem. The movie within a movie aspect is done perfectly, I almost want to see a full version of the horrendous-yet-hilarious sci-fi epic they made. I think the shameless nature of a lot of the characters makes it a lot more realistic and likable than it might have been if they were good people.
Dan S

Occasionally very funny film concerning a down-on-his-luck movie producer who decides to shoot a movie with the biggest action star in the world - only he doesn't know he's in the movie. While the plot is very clever and it executes some things very well, at the end of the… More
Occasionally very funny film concerning a down-on-his-luck movie producer who decides to shoot a movie with the biggest action star in the world - only he doesn't know he's in the movie. While the plot is very clever and it executes some things very well, at the end of the movie I couldn't help but feeling it had potential to be something so much better and funnier. It's definitely an average comedy, but with two huge comedy stars like Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy, this thing could've been an absolute riot. I laughed, just not enough to give it a full recommendation.
Anthony L

I think this film might just be the last time we see Eddie Murphy & Steve Martin being funny.
Jason O

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).… More
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. Bowfinger, (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.
♥˩ƳИИ &

The worse movie Steve Martin has ever done. Awful.
Aaron N

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… More
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 good 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!
Lenny M

Underrated comedy about making independent movies, great film.
Ross C

Film director attempts to shoot a film without the main star's consent.
Dean M

There are some genuinely hilarious moments in this somewhat uneven movie written and directed by Steve Martin, with Eddie Murphy terrific in his dual role and Heather Graham hilarious as a starlet who will do anything to get her big break.
David S

Before Eddie Murphy seemed to turn his back on films for an older audience and started pandering to kids, he was part of this gem. A great idea delivered to us by great talents. The concept is one that is so simple yet so brilliant you wonder why no one had tried something of its… More
Before Eddie Murphy seemed to turn his back on films for an older audience and started pandering to kids, he was part of this gem. A great idea delivered to us by great talents. The concept is one that is so simple yet so brilliant you wonder why no one had tried something of its nature at that point. The idea of making a movie without the actor ever knowing it leads to some promising scenes with the trick being getting the right responses that seem reasonable to the scene in question. The second point needed to pull it off is the ability to talk your way out of strange situations that arise and to do so with some credibility. And with Steve Martin's character, he's like a used car salesman in the world's biggest car yard. Pitting Bobby Bowfinger with a seemingly optimistic cast and crew makes for many laughs and allows Bobby to do what he does best: be a smooth talking schemer. Couple that with the blows at so-called religions and you have another solid effort before the two leads, Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy, would go on to abominations like Pink Panther and Norbit respectively.
Curtis L

eddie murphy sucks. period.
Film C

stupidlly funny
Candy R

Bowfinger is a desperate producer who wants to make a movie. Hilarious cast and plot.
Jason S

Nope. Not good.
xGary X

A rare aberration from Hollywoods two biggest sell-outs. An enjoyable send-up of the movie making system and themselves. Mildly reminiscent of Peter Sellers' After The Fox.
Jon L

Funny movie.
Lanning :

This is the most interesting role(s) Murphy has ever attempted. Although he's history now, barring a major comeback, you could believe that he really had the right stuff in this. I actually thought he really was an actor when I saw this. He was so good on SNL. I wanted… More
This is the most interesting role(s) Murphy has ever attempted. Although he's history now, barring a major comeback, you could believe that he really had the right stuff in this. I actually thought he really was an actor when I saw this. He was so good on SNL. I wanted Murphy to do way more with his chances. What a waste. When you are one of the lucky ones, you must capitalize on your good fortune. A very good movie.
Steven V

This movie was really funny. Steve Martin and Eddy Murphy play off each other nicely. Though the movie tends to slow down towards the end, its still a good time.
Juan C

outrageously funny! eddie murphy is at his funniest here! steve martin's acting and script is comedy gold of crazy proportions!