Bowfinger (1999)

Director:

Frank Oz

Writer (WGA):

Steve Martin (written by)

Release Date:

13 August 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

A desperate plan for a desperate man

Plot:

When a desperate movie producer fails to get a major star for his bargain basement film, he decides to shoot the film secretly around him.

Plot Keywords:

Hollywood | Brother | Movie Producer | Actor | Film Within A Film

Awards:

6 nominations

Cast

Steve Martin	...	Bobby Bowfinger
Eddie Murphy	...	Kit Ramsey / Jeffernson 'Jiff' Ramsey
Heather Graham	...	Daisy
Christine Baranski	...	Carol
Jamie Kennedy	...	Dave
Adam Alexi-Malle	...	Afrim
Kohl Sudduth	...	Slater
Barry Newman	...	Hal, Kit's Agent
Terence Stamp	...	Terry Stricter
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Jerry Renfro
Alejandro Patino	...	Sanchez
Alfred De Contreras	...	Martinez
Ramiro Fabian	...	Hector
Johnny Sanchez	...	Luis
Claude Brooks	...	Freddy

Also Known As:

Bowfinger's Big Thing (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sex-related material and language.

Runtime:

97 min | Turkey:85 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:U | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Iceland:L | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:M | Norway:A | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #36611) | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

380 South San Rafael Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The license plate for the FedEx van at the end reads "T3THANS". Tethans are relevant to the Scientology cult, which this movie makes a satire of as the Mind Head organization.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bowfinger is in the bedroom with Daisy, counting his money, the picture behind the bed changes angle between shots (the first part of the scene was re-shot months after principal photography had finished, to include a shot of the table set for two).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Robert K. Bowfinger: Wow. Great script. Great script!
[to his dog]
Robert K. Bowfinger: Betsy? It's now or never. We are gonna make a movie.

Movie Connections:

References Young Frankenstein (1974)

Soundtrack:

And I Love You So

Steve Martin was funny, then he wasn't. Now he is again

Steve Martin, the funniest man alive in the 80s, lost his way in the 90s with the likes of "Leap Of Faith" and "A Simple Twist Of Fate". Now, after sterling work in David Mamet's "The Spanish Prisoner", Martin's return to writing and acting in straight-up comedy is surprisingly, reassuringly good. "Bowfinger" is a movie about movies, with all the potential for in-jokery and self-indulgence that brings, but for the most part dispenses with the clever-clever, isn't-Hollywood-shallow stuff to deliver laughs.

Martin's Bobby Bowfinger, a struggling producer desperate for a hit before he reaches the 'unemployable' age of 50, hits on the idea of putting action star Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy) in his new sci-fi film "Chubby Rain" without the star knowing anything about it. Consequently, Bowfinger's inept crew follows Ramsey around in increasingly crazy and surreal fashion, utilising everything from 'Will Work For Food' signs made of foil to cranes mounted on trucks to get the shot they need. When Bowfinger stumbles across a Kit double (Murphy again) who will do anything the director asks including fetch the coffee, he starts to think all his birthdays have come at once. Meanwhile, the neurotic Ramsey, never that stable to begin with, begins to lose it altogether as he becomes convinced that sex-crazed pod people are stalking him.

It's a simple plot and, while the script throws a few barbs at Hollywood, it's played mainly for big laughs - and gets them. Heather Graham is spot-on as the ingenue literally just off the bus from Ohio who is prepared to sleep with anyone to get longer scenes, and Jamie Kennedy is all laconic wit as Bowfinger's long-suffering assistant. Really, though, it's Martin and Murphy's show. The original wild and crazy guy shows he hasn't lost all his manic energy in the title role, nor his wit with the sharp script. Surprisingly enough, though, the standout performance is Murphy's; he is brilliant as both the paranoid, highly-strung Kit and his dumb-but-sweet double Jiff. This might even be a career-best.

It's simple, lightweight and throwaway of course, but comedies that try to SAY something, even if they're good, often just don't make you laugh that much. Bowfinger will.