REVIEWS

"BOWFINGER"

In September of 1986, I saw Eddie Murphy do his "Raw" stand-up comedy show at the James L. Knight Center in Miami. At the time, Eddie Murphy was probably the best comedian in the country (that honor probably goes to Chris Rock now), and he was one of the most successful actors in Hollywood. Unfortunately, some of that success simmered down after "Harlem Nights," but after "The Nutty Professor" (and "Dr. Dolittle"), he proved that he could still pack a movie theater. Eddie Murphy is an incredibly talented guy, and I've seen just about every movie he's been in. It would be interesting to see him do a serious role, but quite honestly, I'm not sure he'd be able to pull it off.

I like Steve Martin's work, but I'd never see a movie just because Steve Martin was in it. I think he was great in "Parenthood" and "Roxanne," but other than that, he's no big deal to me. Just... blah, ya know?

The idea of Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin being in a movie together intrigued me. This is the first time in a VERY long time that Eddie Murphy's name is the second name rather than the first. Also, their two styles of comedy are so completely different. The story seemed very unique, and Eddie Murphy looking like a complete dork seemed really funny to me.

"Bowfinger" is a very flawed movie. Most of what happens is totally implausible, but it's fun watching it. Eddie Murphy is great in both of his two roles ("Kit Ramsey," the paranoid hotshot movie star and "Jiff," the total geek who serves as somewhat of a body double for him), and Steve Martin is fine as the producer/director of what looks to be really awful movies. The guy makes Ed Wood look like Martin Scorsese. Along with Martin and Murphy, the movie also features Heather Graham, Christine Baranski, Jamie Kennedy ("Randy," the film geek in the "Scream" movies), and Robert Downey, Jr. They're all very good.

The director was Frank Oz (who also acts and does voice-overs... he's the voice of "Miss Piggy," "Fozzie Bear," and "Yoda"), and he directed what I consider to be one of the funniest movies of all-time, "What About Bob?" He also directed "In & Out," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," "Little Shop of Horrors," and "The Dark Crystal." I think he's really good when it comes to directing comedies, but nothing he's done has ever come close to "What About Bob?" Steve Martin writes a lot of the movies he stars in. He helped to write "Roxanne," "Three Amigos!", "The Man with Two Brains," and "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid." He wrote "L.A. Story" on his own, as he did with "Bowfinger."

"Bowfinger" is the kinda movie that I enjoyed while I was watching it. I laughed loudly a few times, and I was entertained, but for whatever reason, once the movie was over, I walked out feeling as though the movie killed 100 minutes, but not much else. I liked it, but it was nothing memorable.

Scale of 1-10: 7