Bowfinger

Whenever Steve Martin graces us with his presence on the silver screen, I tend to immediately tune in – even if it’s one of those overcrowded family comedies. Steve Martin lights up the screen and blinds us with the shine that reflects off his comedic gem persona. Having written a substantial amount of parts he’s appeared in, you know the ideas floating in Martin’s mind are sustained from conception to execution. With Bowfinger, it’s no different as Martin runs around like a crazed maniac trying to do it all.

Steve Martin plays Bobby Bowfinger; a desperate filmmaker who fails to land megastar, Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy), for a new picture. In a tight bind with his crew and equally desperate actors, Bowfinger decides to pull one over on everyone and secretly film the insecure Ramsey without his knowing. Heather Graham also stars as a country girl looking for fame at any cost, as she’ll sleep with anyone to boost her career.

Bowfinger is a laugh-a-minute chucklefest as it satirizes Hollywood in a more subtle way than other farces. It touches on the inner workings of the kooky little bubble that is Hollywood. Actresses sleeping with power up the ladder; “Scientology” manifesting itself; the neurotic insecurities of big time actors, etc. All of it revealed, we, as the audience, have a ball with. Even Eddie Murphy commits to his trademark of playing multiple characters. In this case, it’s only two, but nevertheless, he’s in his element here as they are juxtaposed brilliantly.

The main focus is Martin’s charm as he plays the mastermind director trying to fool everyone and film a high end movie on a shoestring budget of just over $2,000. He hops all over the place like a Ritalin popping rabbit taking on all comers. Martin dazzles us with his charm and quirky snake-like behavior that is very attractive.

The inventiveness of Martin, through his acting, generated by his clever writing, is a pleasure to watch; his interactions with a myriad of characters (all diverse) are hysterical as each one is unique and brings something different to the table. Bowfinger is short and sweet and doesn’t blur the truth of the movie industry.

Written by: John Berkowitz

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