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Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Heather Graham, Christine Baranski, Jamie Kennedy ... see more see more... , Robert Downey Jr. , Terence Stamp , Adam Alexi-Malle , Kohl Sudduth , Barry Newman , Marisol Nichols

A group of wanna-be filmmakers and actors concocts a scheme to make a movie with a major star without having to pay him in this comedy. Bobby Bowfinger (Steve Martin) has struggled for years to make i... read more read more...t in Hollywood with no real success; he's convinced that he has to make his big break soon or it will be too late. Bobby has a script, and he has a cast, including an ingenue straight off the bus from Ohio (Heather Graham), a one-time regional stage star who fondly recalls her brief moment of glory (Christine Baranski), and a hunky aspiring matinee idol (Kohl Sudduth). He also has a young associate named Dave (Jamie Kennedy), who has a low-level job at a movie studio as a gofer -- which means that he has keys to every part of the lot and can "borrow" whatever they need. All they need is a star, but without any money, how do they get one? Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy) is a leading action star, and he is obviously beyond Bowfinger's budget. But Bobby has an idea: what if he tricked Kit into appearing in the film without his knowing it? Steve Martin also wrote the film's screenplay, and former Muppets performer Frank Oz directs. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

50% liked it

71,766 ratings

Critics

80% liked it

108 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 36 min.

Directed by: Frank Oz

Release Date: August 13, 1999

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DVD Release Date: January 18, 2000

Stats: 2,219 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,219)

  • TheDudeLebowski65
    June 28, 2010
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Bowfinger is a terrific comedy film. Steve Martin delivers a great performance. I'm usually not a big fan of Eddie Murphy, but in this film he truly is hilarious and gives one terrific performance. A unique comedy, Bowfinger is different from other comedies. The humour is smart, ... read moreand the acting is great. Which is something that won't appeal to many film viewers, but to those who love this type of humour, give this film a view. The films story is very original, and Martin and Murphy give hilarious performances.
  • ythelastman89
    May 18, 2010
    ythelastman89
    I actually think this is a great movie, it's Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy at the top of their game. Neither have made a better movie since, only making this look like even more of a gem. The movie within a movie aspect is done perfectly, I almost want to see a full version of th... read moree horrendous-yet-hilarious sci-fi epic they made. I think the shameless nature of a lot of the characters makes it a lot more realistic and likable than it might have been if they were good people.
  • fb619846742
    January 1, 2010
    fb619846742
    Occasionally very funny film concerning a down-on-his-luck movie producer who decides to shoot a movie with the biggest action star in the world - only he doesn't know he's in the movie. While the plot is very clever and it executes some things very well, at the end of the movie ... read moreI couldn't help but feeling it had potential to be something so much better and funnier. It's definitely an average comedy, but with two huge comedy stars like Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy, this thing could've been an absolute riot. I laughed, just not enough to give it a full recommendation.
  • SirPant
    September 23, 2009
    SirPant
    I think this film might just be the last time we see Eddie Murphy & Steve Martin being funny.
  • stormyweather980
    August 15, 2009
    stormyweather980
    While I was watching "Bowfinger," I was expecting it to be just a good comedy movie like most Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy movies. I was part right and part wrong. Steve Martin is a struggling filmmaker who wants to make a movie with action star Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy). Mr. Bo... read morewfinger, (Steve Martin), develops a scheme in which he will make the movie with Kit as its main star by finding Kit at various locations and filming him without him knowing it.
    Parts of "Bowfinger" are funny such as when Kit keeps hearing some footsteps and starts getting scared, not knowing that it's just a dog wearing two shoes that's being instructed by Mr. Bowfinger to walk or run. My only complaint is that the movie wasn't as funny as I thought it was gonna be, but it is real entertaining. If you're a Steve Martin or Eddie Murphy fan, I do recommend watching "Bowfinger." You probably won't be disappointed. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. I for one was very disappointed, especially for a Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin movie, even back then. But other people seemed to really like it, so I gave it a more favorable rating then than I would now or should have then.
  • LWOODS04
    August 9, 2009
    LWOODS04
    The worse movie Steve Martin has ever done. Awful.
  • DrZeek
    December 4, 2008
    DrZeek
    Bowfinger: Did you know that Tom Cruise didn't know he was in that vampire movie until two years later?

    I love movies about the making of movies, like Get Shorty, Ed Wood, The Last Shot, and this movie.

    Steve Martin wrote this movie about an unsuccessful filmmaker who gets a g... read moreood script, but with no connections, decides to make the movie, using a big star, without this star knowing he's in the movie.

    Dave: But movies cost millions of dollars to make.
    Bowfinger: That's after gross net deduction profit percentage deferment ten percent of the nut. Cash, every movie cost $2,184.

    Eddie Murphy is this star, in one of his best roles. He plays an egocentric movie star who is also subject to paranoia and depends on a Scientology-like group to help him get by.

    Kit: The letter K appears in this script 1,456 times. That's perfectly divisible by 3.
    Freddy: So what? So what you saying?
    Kit: What am I saying? KKK appears in this script 486 times!

    Murphy also plays another one of his best roles in this movie, as the star's brother, Jif, who gets involved in Bowfinger's film.

    Bowfinger: Do you have any experience in motion pictures?
    Jiff Ramsey: Uh, well, yeah, quite a bit, actually, I have quite a bit of experience. I'm an active, uh, renter at Blockbuster, and I, um, attend the filmed cinema, uh, as much as possible, weekly, bi-weekly, inter-week-... intermediately.
    Bowfinger: Would you be willing to cut your hair?
    Jiff Ramsey: [sighs] Oh, yes, but, uh, it's usually better if someone else does it. I've had a few... accidents.

    This is a very funny movie, that combines a lot of Hollywood satire, with a fun well written story about a bunch of wannabe's trying to make the big time.

    Director Frank Oz uses this story, its cast, which also includes supporting performances from Heather Graham, Jaime Kennedy, Christine Baranski, and Terrance Stamp, and the improv skills of both Martin and Murphy to make for a funny movie with many memorable scenes.

    Kit Ramsey: Gotcha Suckers!
  • Chiefilms
    March 4, 2008
    Chiefilms
    Underrated comedy about making independent movies, great film.
  • RossCollinsUK
    December 30, 2007
    RossCollinsUK
    Film director attempts to shoot a film without the main star's consent.
  • deano
    December 17, 2007
    deano
    There are some genuinely hilarious moments in this somewhat uneven movie written and directed by Steve Martin, with Eddie Murphy terrific in his dual role and Heather Graham hilarious as a starlet who will do anything to get her big break.

View All Bowfinger Reviews

Critic Reviews

Richard Schickel
February 2, 2009
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine

The best thing about Bowfinger is the way the script by Steve Martin is tooled to his own and Murphy's comic strengths. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
February 27, 2008
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

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

Bob Graham
June 18, 2002
Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle

Martin the writer plants some wicked barbs in Hollywood's rear end about creative financing of movies and hoarding of profits, the art of the deal, hipper-than-thou attitudes and exploitation. Full Review

Rick Groen
March 19, 2002
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

This is his first screenplay since L.A. Story, yet you get the sense that Martin has lost some of the artistic aspiration he once brought to the movie business. This effort feels like it's just business. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Martin is also at the top of his form! Full Review

Jonathan Foreman
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Foreman, New York Post

It assures Murphy's comeback as one of our most brilliant comic talents.

Jeff Millar
January 1, 2000
Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle

The movie's funny enough. But you can't help thinking it might be funnier. Full Review

Andrew O'Hehir
January 1, 2000
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

Martin may express himself more gracefully than Bobby Bowfinger does, but the two share a certain quality of vagueness or absence that has plagued Martin's entire career as an actor and writer. Full Review

Robert Horton
January 1, 2000
Robert Horton, Film.com

Eddie Murphy is unleashed!

Henry Cabot Beck
January 1, 2000
Henry Cabot Beck, Film.com

Witty and spirited!

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts

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    • Kit Ramsey: Keep it together, keep it together, keep it together.
    • Dave: But movies cost millions of dollars to make.
    • Bobby Bowfinger: That's after gross net deduction profit percentage deferment ten percent of the nut. Cash, every movie cost $2,184.
    • Bobby Bowfinger: Now that you and your colleagues here at Mindfu - , head have had a chance to think, what do you say?
    • Bobby Bowfinger: [Interviewing Jiff for the movie] Would you be willing to cut your hair?
    • Jiff Ramsey: Well, yeah, but it would probably be better if someone else did it. I've had a few... accidents.
    • Kit Ramsey: Gotcha suckers!
    • Jiff Ramsey: Heavenly God! Heavenly God!
Submit a Fact | View All

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Bowfinger Trivia

  • He supplied the voices of Donkey in Shrek and Mushu in Mulan2, and has held main roles in movies like the nutty proffessor in 1996, the 2003 Haunted Manison and was in the 1999 movie bowfinger who is he?  Answer »
  • Which actor is in the following: *Cheaper by the dozen *The Pink Panther *Bringing down the House *Bowfinger  Answer »
  • In which film do Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin co-star?  Answer »
  • Which Actor Was: -Jacques Clouseau In The Pink Panther -Tom Baker In Cheaper By the Dozen -Peter Sanderson In Bringing Down The House -Bobby Bowfinger In Bowfinger -Ray Porter In Shopgirl  Answer »
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