They're going to lie, cheat and steal - but in a nice way.
Bobby Bowfinger (Steve Martin), a nearly bankrupt aspiring movie producer-director, is about to take one last shot at fame and fortune. Desperate to hit the big time, the hapless dreamer recruits a motley crew of aspiring misfits, including an eager nerd, an ambitious ingenue and an over-the-hill diva. With their help, Bowfinger embarks on a radical, ingenious scheme to trick kit Ramsey, the biggest name in movies (Eddie Murphy), into becoming the star of his ultra-low budget film.
Special Agent Matti
Hyuck, hyuck, hyuck. Steve Martin has obviously been spending far too much time in Hollywood.
When he wrote and starred in California he created a great piece of cinema that absolutely trashed the Tinseltown dream at the same time as it paid homage to it. "Half double-decaf cappuccino with a twist of lemon" has gone down in actor history as a line to throw out at pretentious parties. But enough of the glamour, Bowfinger takes you to the other end of the scale: producers who have never made a film, actors who have never been in one, crew who have only just arrived in an English speaking country (as much as the USA is an English speaking country).
By taking the line of the underdog, Steve cleverly exploits the people he ignored in California. It's good.
Any struggling actor or director (ie Australian) will be familiar with the guerilla filmmaking techniques the gang resort to. (Historical note: I once helped the police with their enquiries when someone found a bag full of fake guns at a railway station. D'oh!)
Anyhoo, Bowfinger is a pretty funny film which Eddie Murphy doesn't get to overshadow and even goes back closer to his roots to perform in. Steve is Steve (ie the same character he always plays, just with a different name), while the supporting cast are all excellent. I pick out Kohl Sudduth as someone who deserves an interesting future. Watch this guy.
Funny, witty, crass and a little bit zany, Bowfinger is fine for anyone's Saturday night at the movies. After all, who cares what picture you see? La da dee da da...
M (Low level coarse language, sexual references)
97 minutes (1:37 hours)
Film: Undated June 2000
