33 lines
4.3 KiB
Plaintext
33 lines
4.3 KiB
Plaintext
bowfinger is a good movie about the making of a very bad one .
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the screenplay , written by co-star steve martin , skewers everything in hollywood from cheesy science-fiction movies to chop-socky fight sequences , and all in a crafty and accomplished manner .
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anyone who knows of , or has had any association with movie-making should thoroughly enjoy this clever comedy for it's entire duration .
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the central premise behind the film is an inspired and promising one .
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bobby bowfinger ( martin ) , a cheapskate and small-time hollywood producer , has always dreamed of making a successful motion picture but has never attained the proper tools to do so .
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a new script , an alien invasion story entitled chubby rain , has caught bowfinger's eye .
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after confronting a big-name producer named jerry renfro ( robert downey jr . ) in a restaurant , an agreement is made to finance the movie .
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but first , bowfinger must get renowned action star kit ramsey ( eddie murphy ) to sign in on the project .
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kit turns the offer down immediately , but bowfinger still has the intent to shoot the film .
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after emptying out his life savings , the hapless producer tells the remaining cast and crew that ramsey is involved , and then prepares to film the movie without the star's knowledge .
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the actors confront ramsey on the street , saying their lines as hidden cameras peek through bushes to capture the footage .
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the unknowing star , who is terrified of aliens and being abducted , is brought to believe there is actually pod people after him .
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when the conditions become even more treacherous , bowfinger is forced to hire a kit ramsey look-alike named jiff ( also murphy ) , a sweet-natured dork who runs for coffee in-between shooting vital scenes .
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these include attempting a suicide run across an 8-lane freeway , and one of the `hot' scenes involving supporting actress daisy ( heather graham ) removing her blouse .
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bowfinger takes it's sweet time getting started , but when the plot switches into high gear , great things happen .
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certain scenes are so precisely executed , perfectly framing moments that are absolutely fall-down funny .
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no , hilarious .
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standouts include the chase through a parking garage in which ramsey , who's supposed to be being followed , keeps checking behind him to investigate a strange tapping noise ( it's actually bowfinger's dog in high heels ) .
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and just try not to laugh in the climactic kung-fu sequence , featuring jiff in an excerpt from another bowfinger classic entitled fake purse ninjas .
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while the entire 97-minutes of bowfinger isn't always on target , individual scenes may have you rolling in the aisles .
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masterful comedy director frank oz ( dirty rotten scoundrels , in and out ) , who has never made a bad movie , ensures a quality final product and is aided immensely by martin's sharp-edged script .
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however , the real on-screen star is eddie murphy .
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this is the actor's finest work since his breakthrough into the hollywood market in the early 80's .
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murphy excels at every corner , not only succeeding with presenting believable paranoia in the eyes of kit ramsey , but in creating a likable buffoon in jiff as well .
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these three talented comic minds have squeezed every morsel of potential out of this premise , and the reward is a virtually guaranteed helping of hearty laughs .
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steve martin generates the power behind bowfinger , but murphy fuels it .
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this is a summer-time comedy that , unlike something such as american pie and south park , doesn't break any rules .
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but it's still just as uproarious , or perhaps even more side-splitting than anything we've seen this season .
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the supporting cast , including christine baranski as a work-loving actress and jamie kennedy as the cameraman , all perform well within their limits .
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the only presence that demands real attention when placed next to martin or murphy is the beautiful heather graham , as the young film star who has plans to sleep her way to the top .
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graham , attempting to further her stardom after appearing as the new powers' girl in ap2 , displays a cheerful but naive persona that nicely corresponds with the wackiness of the screenplay .
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i wouldn't be caught dead buying a ticket for chubby rain , but watching how it all came about is certainly entertaining enough .
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