DVD Review – Bowfinger (1999)

Eddie Murphy is normally terrible in everything possible except his early stand-up but Bowfinger like Punch-Drunk Love is to Adam Sandler is the exception to that rule. It’s directed by Frank Oz who is an interesting director and of course a great muppeter and performer in his own right. Steve Martin wrote the screenplay and stars as the ultra low-budget director Bobby Bowfinger who gives Ed Wood a run for his money.

The script is inspired by an incident when silent film scarlet Maria Pickford was shot covertly in the ’20s so she could appear in a Russian film. Eddie Murphy plays dual roles of big movie star Kit Ramsey and his clueless brother Jiff who Bowfinger hires without realising they are brothers as a stand in. Kit is also a member of the elusive cult “MindHead” which is an obvious pisstake of The Church of Scientology despite Martin denying the charges for obvious reasons.

The film is certainly a high water mark of Murphy’s career because he doesn’t for the most part play the Stepin Fetchit role he normally does. Martin really shines here probably due to the fact he wrote the screenplay himself and I’m sure a lot of the scenarios are based on his own experiences within the Hollywood system. It’s also his best work of the ’90s by some distance and possible his best work since he classic cameo in Frank Oz’s musical version of Little Shop of Horrors.

The tone is a slightly darker than the usual fare Murphy or Martin does which probably down to Oz’s sensibilities which are closer to dark comedy. The satire on Scientology is spot on and the increased paranoia Ramey has due to his “religion” and the fact this sci-fi film is shooting around him is hilarious. The film is helped enormously by a supporting cast of Heather Grahams, Robert Downey Jr. and Terrence Stamp in great form as the leader of “MindHead”. It does falter during the last act but overall it’s a surprisingly grown up and daring film coming from Martin and Murphy and seems have been all but forgotten since it’s modestly successful release in 1999.

★★★ 1/2
Ian Schultz

comedy | USA, 1999 | 15 | Fabulous Films | 2nd November 2015 (UK) | Dir.Frank Oz |Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Heather Graham

About the Author

Ian Schultz

I'm the guy who normally covers stuff released by Masters of Cinema and Arrow Video along with a sprinkling of other stuff. I love a wide range of films from European art house films to silly action films. My top 10 films are Brazil, Blue Velvet, Donnie Darko, Fight Club, Jackie Brown, Seconds, Pan's Labyrinth, Badlands, Blade Runner, The Night of the Hunter.

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