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Year One
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Bowfinger
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 33 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 8 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info
Genre(s): Comedy
Written by: Steve Martin
Directed by: Frank Oz
Release Date:
Theatrical: August 13, 1999
DVD: January 18, 2000
Running Time: 98 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG-13 for sex-related material and language
Starring Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin, Heather Graham, Christine Baranski, and Jamie Kennedy
Bobby Bowfinger, 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 overthe-hill diva. With their help, Bowfinger embarks on a radical, ingenious scheme to trick the biggest name in movies into becoming the star of his ultra-low budget film. (Universal Pictures)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Death at a Funeral Dirty Rotten Scoundrels In & Out Little Shop of Horrors The Score The Stepford Wives
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Time Richard Schickel
Perhaps the funniest movie for grownups so far this year.
Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
Spoofy and sweet... endearingly old-fashioned.
San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham
A venemous Valentine to Hollywood sugarcoated with laughs.
Read Full Review >TNT RoughCut M. Meghan McCarthy
One of the funniest films of the year... enough laugh-out-loud moments.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
One terrific comedy that doesn't let up for an instant... a total hoot.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone Peter Travers
Inspired funny business that allows Martin to hilariously torpedo Hollywood's corrupt heart.
The New York Times Elvis Mitchell
Smoothly directed and acted with glee... showing quick-witted comic spirit.
Read Full Review >Baltimore Sun Milton Kent
As close to a perfect piece of satire as filmmakers have seen in quite some time.
Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy
Offers a lot of laughs, a heartwarming core.
Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
Has it's share of downtime.
Mr. Showbiz Elanore Snow
Savy script... terrific performances... [yet] the movie's herky jerky pacing may leave you wanting.
New York Daily News Jami Bernard
One of the reasons the move is so funny is that it is only a few degrees away from real life.
Read Full Review >New York Post Jonathan Foreman
Bowfinger's terrific set-pieces... more than make up for the odd weak moment or thin performance.
Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
One of the best and funniest things that Martin, as writer and actor, has ever done.
Read Full Review >USA Today Mike Clark
Aside from the "Nutty Professor," this is the funniest Murphy comedy since the Reagan Administration.
San Francisco Examiner Wesley Morris
Priceless enough to flush "Metro," "Dr. Dolittle" and "Holy Man" from memory.
Read Full Review >Variety Todd McCarthy
So lunatic that it creates as much puzzled disbelief as it does carefree delight.
Read Full Review >Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
Amiable bundle of broad, easy laughs rather than bitingly fierce satire.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
Certainly pleasant, but it's also a bit safe.
Dallas Observer Hinson
With the exception of Murphy . . . the rest of the cast Oz has assembled acquit themselves only adequately or worse.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
Bowfinger is mediocre . . . can be irksome, tedious, and hard to sit through.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
Feels soft without being especially affectionate, and only sporadically funny.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Sarah Hepola
Just enough laughs to keep you from feeling blatantly shortchanged.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir
Mechanical plot that seems dull even before it laboriously clanks and screeches into motion.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 7.5 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Joe S. gave it a5:
Enjoyable to watch, but it is farce all the way through. And you get the sense that the filmmakers were so dumb they didn't even understand that it was farce they were making. It wasn't a particularly "bad" movie, but it was thin and pathetic, and seemed to take no effort or filmmaking skill to make.
Akhil K gave it a10:
Truly, one of the best "struggling to make a movie" movie ever. Eddie Murphy's hilarious double performance and Steve Martin's brilliant comedic timings serve this film very well. Excellent soundtrack too.
