BOWFINGER
RATING: 7.5 / 10 --> Very good movie
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Eddie Murphy is back and I for one am glad for it! Who can blame the guy for
straying towards a couple of kiddie flicks that garnered him millions in
cash ($17M for DR. DOLITTLE), while slowly losing his real fan base of
people who grew up with him on TV's "Saturday Night Live", and his earlier
"funny" movies? I certainly did. But with his two superb performances in
this film, and the wonderfully original script written by Steve Martin, it
doesn't look like I need to worry so much anymore...at least...for now.
PLOT:
Down-and-out producer of films, Bobby Bowfinger, has a good script written
by his Indian accountant, and he wants one of the biggest Hollywood stars,
Kit Ramsey, to star in it. When Kit turns him down flat, Mr. Bowfinger
decides to shoot the movie anyway, by secretly following Kit around with
cameras, and shooting his scenes without his knowledge.
CRITIQUE:
A very entertaining and inventive script tagged alongside some fresh and
revived performances by Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin, turn this film into
an enjoyable time at the cinema. This movie is based on a very funny
premise, features plenty of laughs, great acting and a fun soundtrack. I had
recently given up on Eddie Murphy and his capacity to make me laugh in his
latest pictures, but boy was I wrong, as this humorous film quite clearly
indicates. Murphy apparently improvised some of his lines in this film, and
he is just a wonder to behold. He is perfect as the over-the-top paranoid
superstar Kit Ramsey, and just as hilarious in his other role as Jiff, the
nerdy looking loser who is hired to shoot Ramsey's wide shots. The rest of
the cast is also diverse and a joy to watch, with writer Martin holding them
all together with his absolutely patheticly charming character.
The one reason I didn't score this film any higher than I did was because
the premise of the film is essentially the whole film. There isn't much more
to it than that, and despite never being bored, I did find myself wanting a
few more surprises than I ultimately received. That being said, I am happy
to report that the chuckles did not cease spewing out of my mouth during
this film's entire run, with many potshots at Hollywood types sprinkled
throughout, and a surprisingly sweet ending. Certainly the most original
summer comedy of this hum-drum season, with the prime return to form of
Eddie Murphy, an inventive and Tinseltown-skewering script by Steve Martin,
and an overall fun time at the movies.
Little Known Facts about this film and its stars:
The part of the stalked actor, Kit Ramsey, was originally written for a
white actor, but with Murphy's help, Steve Martin rewrote the script, and
turned his neurotic thespian into an action star, who is an angry black man
with a doozy of a conspiracy complex.
Steve Martin dated actress Anne Heche for two years before she turned into a
lesbian and began dating comedienne Ellen DeGeneres.
Up 'til now, actress Heather Graham has dated director Stephen Hopkins,
actors Elias Koteas, James Woods, and is currently snuggled up to
actor/director Edward Burns.
The Eddie Murphy "running across the freeway scene with zooming cars flying
by" was actually not as scary as it looked in the film, since many of the
speeding autos were actually added later in digital mode. Despite that, the
scene still took months to be approved by leery L.A. highway officials.
Eddie's real-life middle name is Regan.
Now despite brewing up the idea for this film about 10 years ago, according
to Steve Martin, the script for BOWFINGER grew our of his recent playwriting
success with "Picasso at the Lapin Agile". It is only after he had written
"Picasso", that he thought about writing a screenplay in that same spirit,
where he would not care or think about anybody ever seeing it. I don't think
he has to worry about that with this film!
Director Frank Oz is also known throughout the universe as the eternal voice
of "Yoda" in the STAR WARS movies. His full name is Frank Oznowicz.
Actor Jamie Kennedy, who plays Dave the movie-camera-stealing friend of
Bowfinger in this film, may be remember by some of you from his quirky roles
in the two SCREAM movies.
Robert Downey Jr. is a very good actor with serious drug problems (but I
guess that isn't really a "little known fact", eh? :)
Review Date: August 4, 1999
Director: Frank Oz
Writer: Steve Martin
Producer: Brian Grazer
Actors: Eddie Murphy as Kit Ramsey/Jiff
Steve Martin as Bobby Bowfinger
Heather Graham as Daisy
Genre: Comedy
Year of Release: 1999
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Have I seen this movie: Yes
And what did I think: Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy finally team up together and as expected, they make a pretty good team together. Frank Oz, who worked a lot with the Muppet Movies, and as Yoda in the Star Wars movie directs here. Steve Martin is a broke film producer called Bobby Bowfinger who needs to make a movie or he's finished. He picks a painfully bad script written by an accountant called "Chubby Rain" a bad alien movie. After promising his crew that he got Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy), the most famous actor in Hollywood to star in his movie, he didn't have the heart to tell them that Ramsey refused. So he gets the bright idea of filming Ramsey without him knowing it, or most of his crew either. Because Ramsey is "slightly" paranoid about aliens, it makes for some humorous scenes since the movie Bowfinger making is about attacking aliens. The actors have to walk up to him in public and say their lines, except they think that he is aware he's in the movie when he's not. Eventually Kit Ramsey goes into hiding for a few days and in order to finish the movie, Bowfinger wants to find a look-alike to play him. Eddie Murphy plays a dual role here as Jiff Ramsey, Kit's nerdy brother who works in a pizza place. Eddie's great playing both roles, but I had more fun watching him as Jiff. In addition to the fine roles by Martin and Murphy, Heather Graham co-stars as a girl who comes to Hollywood to become a movie star. Supposedly she is innocent, but as the movie goes on, you find out she is the total opposite after sleeping with about the entire crew. This movie is a lot of fun, but it has some faults in the plot. I wondered why Bowfinget just didn't use Jiff Ramsey in the movie since he looks just like his brother. Also you can tell the movie is pretty bad, yet it has a big Hollywood premier and everyone seems to love it. I suppose that's just for the Happy Ending. However, the final part which shows the bad, but funny martial arts picture is a hoot to see. This is definately worth renting if you haven't seen it.
I give Bowfinger 3.5 out of 5 stars
Review written January 21, 2000
