Incredibly charming and heartwarming, Bowfinger is one of those masterpieces I can watch anytime. Mostly because it’s just so fucking well-crafted and original. I mean, not only do you get non-stop laughs but you also get one hell of a script. It’s poking fun at not only the movie-making industry but also a whole range of accompanying issues. From Scientology, New-Age spiritualism, exploitation, deceits, and very harsh realities of show business, it’s got it all. Something that’s not entirely surprising considering that this is a Frank Oz movie. Yes, the same Frank Oz who made Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, What About Bob? and freaking Death at a Funeral!
Now, this fact alone should make you check out Bowfinger but wait, there’s more! This movie stars both Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy at the heights of their careers. What more to want from a comedy? I have to admit I wasn’t a fan of either of these actors but they were terrific here. Apart from hilarious dialogue, there’s also a lot of situational comedy. I could list you all my favorite scenes but that would just spoil the fun. Ahh, fuck it, I can’t help but mention the one where Bowfinger is hiring his crew and the one with the freeway. Just thinking about them I can’t help but smile. The chemistry between all the actors is palpable and it seems everybody had a great time making this movie.
Meet Bowfinger, a small-time producer dreaming of making that big, fat hit. To do that he must get the hottest action star today: Kit Ramsey. Without money, connection or any clue on how to achieve this, he just goes for it and hopes for the best. What will happen next is history.
Over the years, we got a couple of decent movies that parody the whole movie-making process. I guess the most famous ones are Tropic Thunder and Zack and Miri Make A Porno. The nineties also brought us a couple of good ones in Get Shorty and Boogie Nights. However, in my opinion, Bowfinger is simply the best movie about making movies. Perhaps another reason for that can be found in the fact they’re making a science fiction movie. And the title of that movie is Chubby Rain! You will find out why is that. Also, the characters we’re going to meet are just so well-written that you can’t help liking them. And I will leave the main thing about this movie to discover on your own.
Bowfinger is a movie about dreams and desires. Dreams and desires so big and unrelating that you must act on them. To watch this bunch of underdogs trying to pull off the impossible is a hoot. You will be rooting for them all the way. I will also add that apart from a couple of raunchier jokes, the humor is pretty clean. There’s an innocence about it, almost childish in nature. Finally, I have only two words for ya: Gotcha Suckers!
Director: Frank Oz
Writer: Steve Martin
Cast: Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Heather Graham, Christine Baranski, Jamie Kennedy, Adam Alexi-Malle
Fun Stuff: Eddie Murphy ad-libbed the line “You’re doing great! You’re going to be a star.” in the scene where Daisy is topless.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131325/
