Review of Bowfinger (1999) by Jordan K — 09 Apr 2016

Bowfinger seems promising for its first half hour or so but goes downhill fast. Its clever premise and a few performances are notably good but the rest seems stale, odd and a little mean spirited (which tends to majorly affect the nature of the film).

Bobby Bowfinger is a failing director who hopes to cast arrogant action movie star Kit Ramsey in his latest film, one he hopes to be a blockbuster hit. When Ramsey refuses to be in the film, Bowfinger doesn't want to let his fellow actors down, hoping to secretly film Ramsey in public and let the actors perform their lines in front of him - just his reactions are enough to give him a solid character. Bowfinger also strikes gold when unknowingly casting Ramsey's nerdy younger brother as a stunt double, gaining more connections and running into more trouble as the film goes on.

Bowfinger fails to deliver on its inventive, seemingly bold and fresh story, which really matters for this film. It seems good at first mention but proves to be odd, a little confusing, and doesn't know where it's going next. It almost feels like some parts are left out before quickly going to whatever is happening next. The stressed behind the scenes mean spiritedness, for me, gave the film just that: an unenjoyable, overly rushed stressed atmosphere. I typically love Steve Martin but his performance in this wasn't as good, and his character was unlikable. Eddie Murphy delivered more than Martin, who gets a lot more screen time and even wrote the film. The "movie behind a movie" plot always seems captivating at first glance but sometimes isn't what it seems to be - Bowfinger looks great at first glance, with the poster almost even promising great chemistry between Martin and Murphy, but really disappoints.