KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

TOMASBBloodhound I found a VHS copy of this film at the bottom of a box of old movies I didn't even know I owned. After taking a look at it, I was more than a little glad I found it.Bowfinger is funny little satire about the film-making industry. Its originality may be its best feature. We see the story of a bankrupt would-be director (played wonderfully by Steve Martin) trying to make a scifi/action picture with a big star (Murphy) who doesn't even know he's in the film. Martin's character would make Ed Wood look like Orson Welles, or at the very least Ridley Scott. His crew is made up of a studio lot flunky (Kennedy), four illegal Mexican immigrants, a not-so-innocent young starlet, and several other hangers on. Kennedy is the only one of the crew initially in on the fact that Murphy's character will not know he's the star of the film they are shooting. In a stroke of luck, they find Murphy's nerdy brother (also played perfectly by Murphy) to use in scenes where a close up of his face will not be needed.Obviously, this idea is ridiculous, but the film is so well directed, that you almost for a second believe it might be able to work for a while. Martin, who wrote the script, knows all too well that Hollywood is an institution always ripe for satire. His instincts about what types of bottom feeders will do anything to break into the business are usually dead on. The film also takes a welcomed shot at Scientology, exposing it for the mind f*ck that it is. I also loved the way that by the end of the film, Martin's illegal aliens were the most professional and competent members of his staff.Bowfinger did manage to make a small profit at the box office, by many people have obviously forgotten about it. That is a shame since Murphy has made so few good films in the last decade, and Martin is showcased for being the talent that he is. And any film with the lovely Heather Graham is worth seeing at least once.If you get a chance, take a look at this one! 8 of 10.The Hound.

Elsie Grant I found this movie so enjoyable. Today the comedies are lacking story lines and actual funny content! This made me laugh from the middle of my gut instead of a forced laugh which most comedies these days make me do. I am a young film maker and the accidents and mistakes that are continuous though out the film, I can totally relate to because I am bound to do the same. Overall the film has a good pace and the script is not too cringe worthy. This is possible the first film were I am actually impressed by Eddie Murphy's performance. This can also be said for Steve Martin. This means it is a must watch for many one who loves to laugh.

oneguyrambling Bowfinger is brilliant and under-appreciated. While Groundhog Day has justifiably gone down in history as one of the best comedies of all time Bowfinger is just another flick, one all too frequently ignored. (Though when I think about it I left it off my Top 10 Comedies of All Time list also.) Bobby Bowfinger (Steve Martin) is a struggling filmmaker who tires of missing the big projects, of being ignored and unknown by the big names, and of being doubted by those loyal to him… and perhaps a little tired of doubting himself.So as another project threatens to slip through his fingers Bowfinger decides that he will make his magnum opus entitled 'Chubby Rain' – a film about an alien invasion with the invaders smuggling themselves to our planet in raindrops – around Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy), the biggest movie star in the world, by filming non-Kit scenes as normal and having his own actors approach an unaware Ramsey and deliver lines while the camera crew hide remain secluded.Bowfinger convinces his rag tag crew of aspiring wannabes and impressionable yet deluded staff that Kit Ramsey is merely '100% method', and is so consumed with his performance that he will not acknowledge or interact with them outside of his scenes.It helps both Chubby Rain and the film that Kit Ramsey is especially paranoid and delusional in all respects, on the verge of cracking altogether and constantly in touch with a Scientology-styled wellness centre called MindHead, run by Terry Stricter (Terence Stamp).At first things go reasonably well, experienced ex-stage actor Carol (Christine Baranski) is impressed with Ramsey's realism as he appears genuinely believable in scenes that require him to be caught offguard and confused, and aspiring straight of the bus actress Daisy (Heather Graham) takes any action necessary to further her role in the film and her fledgling Hollywood career.Things look pretty rosy, but when Ramsey checks himself out of society for a while to deal with his paranoid thoughts that aliens are trying to make contact with him of all things that the production grinds to a halt and a plan B must be hastily devised.Plan B is named Jiff (also Eddie Murphy), a nerdish but keen as mustard man who looks remarkably like Kit, enough at least to pass for him in glimpses and action scenes. Bowfinger works because Steve Martin takes nothing too seriously, he expertly lampoons Hollywood's ridiculous self infatuation and vacuousness (Robert Downey Jr has a brief role as a pompous producer).But this is another example of just how funny Eddie Murphy really was in his prime, his dual roles as Jiff and Kit Ramsey are expertly played and quite frequently hilarious, a scene in which Jiff is asked to run across a busy freeway for an action sequence never fails to floor me, and the scenes that show Kit's emotional and mental fragility are also excellent. This film should stand proudly alongside Coming To America as high water marks in comedic acting, a reminder of a time when playing multiple roles wasn't merely a lazy excuse to ham it up and trade fart jokes.Bowfinger isn't as deep as Groundhog Day or perhaps quite as funny as Coming to America, but it is masterful comedy and remains highly rewatchable. In fact with Eddie Murphy's career long since deceased aside from donkey dialogue it's good to acknowledge the once-genius of Ed, and the excellence of Steve Martin.Final Rating – 8.5 / 10. Bowfinger might not be the best comedy of all time, but it stands head and shoulders above anything passing for comedy over the last few years.

aelaycock I'm amazed that this funny movie only gets an average of 6.5 votes. It perfectly combines satire with slapstick. The central premise - that you can make a movie without the star knowing about it - is wonderfully realised by the inspired Steve Martin and his crew of barmy losers. Eddie Murphy naturally steals the show in two different roles. The traffic-dodging scene had me rolling on the floor. My favourite quote (from Heather Graham as the nymphomaniac starlet), "I've never done it lying down before!" How can anybody not like this utterly charming movie, which bears throughout the stamp of Steve Martin's unique view of life? It's a true return to form for two of America's great natural comedians - just when we thought they had stopped being funny forever.