Bowfinger (1999)

Bowfinger is a hilariously charming film starring Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy set in the heart of Los Angeles. Martin plays a filmmaker desperate to make a film despite his lack of money, talent or connections. The entire film is funny and Eddie Murphy proves why he was such a famous comedian back in the day as he portrays twin brothers with opposite personalities. There are great side roles for the likes of Heather Graham, Robert Downey Jr. and Terrence Stamp but the film belongs to Martin and Murphy. If you are in the mood for a heartfelt comedy without any pretenses than Bowfinger is a great choice.

Bowfinger (1999) Director: Frank Oz Watched: 7/18/18 Rating: 5/10 Pony-tailed Steve Martin, Murphy's needless hyperbolic acting, Graham as wannabe actress slut trying to sleep the way to the top, a young Robert Downey Jr. cameo. "Chubby Rain" is the name of the game, and "Gotcha, Suckas!" the winning ticket. Surreptitious filming with ingenuous methods, film crew picked up from border run, a lead actor who does not know he is an actor, dog in high heels Foley artist. Alien madness, frenzied paranoia, campy over-the-top histrionics, MindHead New Age therapy with coned patients, racial slurs, Hollywood's oldest archetypes magnified, stupidity overload. Martin's writing is stellar as always, shining with scintillating wit- but becomes grating when in excess. Solution for a more entertaining, less wearisome watching experience? Definable separation between the film being filmed and the film. And less of everything else. Absurd characters, Hammed Hollywood satire, Ingratiating. Haibun is a prosimetric (written partly in prose and partly in verse) poem in which most commonly one haiku (5-7-5 syllable format) is included after the prose, serving as a climax or epiphany to what came before. #Haibun #PoemReview #ConArtistry #Hollywood

I found a VHS copy of this film at the bottom of a box of old movies I didn't even know I owned. After taking a look at it, I was more than a little glad I found it.Bowfinger is funny little satire about the film-making industry. Its originality may be its best feature. We see the story of a bankrupt would-be director (played wonderfully by Steve Martin) trying to make a scifi/action picture with a big star (Murphy) who doesn't even know he's in the film. Martin's character would make Ed Wood look like Orson Welles, or at the very least Ridley Scott. His crew is made up of a studio lot flunky (Kennedy), four illegal Mexican immigrants, a not-so-innocent young starlet, and several other hangers on. Kennedy is the only one of the crew initially in on the fact that Murphy's character will not know he's the star of the film they are shooting. In a stroke of luck, they find Murphy's nerdy brother (also played perfectly by Murphy) to use in scenes where a close up of his face will not be needed.Obviously, this idea is ridiculous, but the film is so well directed, that you almost for a second believe it might be able to work for a while. Martin, who wrote the script, knows all too well that Hollywood is an institution always ripe for satire. His instincts about what types of bottom feeders will do anything to break into the business are usually dead on. The film also takes a welcomed shot at Scientology, exposing it for the mind f*ck that it is. I also loved the way that by the end of the film, Martin's illegal aliens were the most professional and competent members of his staff.Bowfinger did manage to make a small profit at the box office, by many people have obviously forgotten about it. That is a shame since Murphy has made so few good films in the last decade, and Martin is showcased for being the talent that he is. And any film with the lovely Heather Graham is worth seeing at least once.If you get a chance, take a look at this one! 8 of 10.The Hound.

When grasping director Bobby Bowfinger finally finds the 'perfect' script, a cheesy sci-fi story called "Chubby Rain", he decides to put everything on the line and give it a shot.Gathering together an ambitious young Ohio actress, a melodramatic stage actress and a laid back male hopeful.Armed with a handful of illegal immigrants for a crew, a tiny budget, and equipment stolen from a nearby studio, Bowfinger lacks just one thing, Hollywood's hottest action star, Kit Ramsey.Refusing to give up when Kit doesn't take the part, Bowfinger and his crew do whatever it takes to complete the flick - secretly filming Kit without his permission and using his nerdy look-alike brother to fill in for remaining scenes....Just as it was looking like there was no coming back for the two comedians, Murphy and Martin hit us with this.It's one of the best satires of the Hollywood machine in years, and precedes the awful Tropic Thunder by nine long years.There is a lot of fun to be had here. Murphy hasn't been this good since Coming to America, and it's clear that he is having the time of his life. Sadly as of the 29/3/2012, he hasn't done anything noteworthy since.Martin is back on form as writer and star, but keeps his role very low key compared to the other actors.Hollywood and Scientology are ripped to shreds, and this could have been a perfect movie, id they had just left out a lot of the visual gags.It reminds one of Landis comedies from the eighties, and there are some jokes you may miss on the first viewing.Cruelly overlooked on initial release, this is a movie for film lovers and fans of old school comedy.