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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 source; 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

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

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

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

Steve Martin fans will get a kick out of this one! Eddie Murphy fans probably won't

Full Review Source: 3BlackChicks Review | comment Comment
02/14/01
Kamal  'The Diva' Larsuel
Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel
3BlackChicks Review

It’s the script that makes this movie.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Guy MacPherson
Guy MacPherson
Apollo Guide

Murphy is wonderful ... The plot is mechanical, clunky and boring.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
02/04/07
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

As a diehard Martin fan, I'm still hoping for a comeback, but it'll take better efforts than this to get me back in his cheering section.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Russell Smith
Russell Smith
Austin Chronicle

Mr. Murphy chews the scenery every chance he gets and it recalls what made him such a star in the first place.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

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

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
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

With its highly original, clever and well-paced script, Bowfinger scams edgy but light-hearted laughs from 'Action!' to wrap.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christine James
Christine James
Boxoffice Magazine

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

This is enjoyable but thin, which is no doubt what was intended.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
02/27/08
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

Martin is also at the top of his form!

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A wonderfully sharp-witted, goofily exuberant movie!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune

Some truly great comic scenes!

Full Review Source: CHUD | comment Comment
01/01/00
Nick Nunziata
Nick Nunziata
CHUD

The movie reaches giddy, cartoonish heights, even while it carefully dodges any chance to move beyond skin-deep.

Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer

Funny pieces that just don’t fit together.

Full Review Source: CinemaSense.Com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Cornell & Petricelli
Cornell & Petricelli
CinemaSense.Com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; 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
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