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Movies / On DVD / Bowfinger
Bowfinger

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Bowfinger (1999)

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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]

Reviews for Bowfinger

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Hugely funny film that mixes knowing satire with winning stupidity, and has Martin and Murphy in form they have rarely managed in recent years.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
02/27/08
Mark Morris
Mark Morris
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Bowfinger bears the same relation to satire as reports of the weekend grosses do to journalism.

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
03/03/02
Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor
Sight and Sound

After a decade in the wilderness, it's good to know that Martin can still cut it with the likes of Jim Carrey and Mike Myers.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Caroline Westbrook
Caroline Westbrook
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Preposterous and utterly self-absorbed, this has la-la land down to a tee.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Woefully banal!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Todd Anthony
Todd Anthony
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Silly and fun, but short on heart

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

[An] entertaining little comedy that should be forgiven for not living to its potential.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
12/02/04
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Bowfinger hits the comedy jackpot!

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
01/01/00
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Divertido ejemplo de que cuando se quiere hacer reír a la gente, lo único que se necesita es una buena historia y un par de buenos actores cómicos

Full Review Source: Moviola | comment Comment
03/14/01
Jorge Avila Andrade
Jorge Avila Andrade
Moviola

Witty and spirited!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Henry Cabot Beck
Henry Cabot Beck
Film.com

Powered by a hilarious, high-octane performance by Eddie Murphy and a witty, boisterous script by his co-star, Steve Martin, Bowfinger offers 90-plus minutes of solid entertainment.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

A junk food comedy, packed with instant gratification laughs that fade away almost immediately after the credits roll.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

Your sides will hurt when the film fades out. It is a comedy event not to be missed.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Go see this jam-packed fun-filled flick and do it now!

Full Review Source: Blunt Review | comment Comment
01/01/00
Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt
Blunt Review

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

A very funny movie.

Full Review Source: Houston Community Newspapers | comment Comment
01/01/00
Gary Brown
Gary Brown
Houston Community Newspapers

Bowfinger manages to be funny without a single semen or shit joke or scene in which a character has carnal relations with a dessert.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Peter Brunette
Peter Brunette
Film.com

A film that fans of Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, and skillfully written and performed comedy should enjoy.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
David N. Butterworth
David N. Butterworth
rec.arts.movies.reviews

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

Martin's decision to tell the story from a bottom feeder's point of view is what keeps it fresh and innovative--never have we seen on screen a group of people struggle this hard to complete a motion picture.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
all

Latest News for Bowfinger

April 02, 2009: Five Favourite Films with Bill Nighy
There can be few actors better suited to starring in a film about the golden age of British rock and roll than Bill Nighy. No wonder, then, that he's front and centre as part of... More...

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