Bowfinger (1999)

My Review

Hollywood always seems to be at its best when it makes movies about itself, and “Bowfinger” is no exception. Steve Martin plays Bobby Bowfinger, an aspiring filmmaker who wants to produce a movie on a budget from his life savings – a whopping $2,184! The laughter never stops and everything seems to work in this film brilliantly directed by Frank Oz (“The Muppets Take Manhattan” 1984) and cleverly written by Steve Martin.

The entire cast is outstanding, starting with Steve Martin, the star of the show. Eddie Murphy has two roles, one playing action movie star Kit Ramsey, and the other playing Ramsey’s off-beat brother Jiff Ramsey. This is Murphy’s best effort in years. Others include Heather Graham, Christine Baranski, Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Kennedy, Adam Alexi-Malle, Kohl Sudduth, Barry Newman, John Cho, Phil Lewis, Marisol Nichols, and Terrance Stamp as Terry Stricter, the head of a religious organization called MindHead, which was actually the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles. “Bowfinger” was filmed in and around the Los Angeles area.

The hilariously watchable “Bowfinger” was successful at the box office for producer Brian Grazer, Imagine Entertainment, and Universal Pictures.