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Bowfinger

Bowfinger

Comedy · 1999

On the verge of bankruptcy and desperate for his big break, aspiring filmmaker Bobby Bowfinger concocts a crazy plan to make his ultimate dream movie. Rallying a ragtag team that includes a starry-eyed ingenue, a has-been diva and a film studio gofer, he sets out to shoot a blockbuster featuring the biggest star in Hollywood, Kit Ramsey -- only without letting Ramsey know he's in the picture.

Movie details

Bowfinger

“The con is on.”

1999 Comedy 1h 37m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.2 / 10

Community rating

On the verge of bankruptcy and desperate for his big break, aspiring filmmaker Bobby Bowfinger concocts a crazy plan to make his ultimate dream movie. Rallying a ragtag team that includes a starry-eyed ingenue, a has-been diva and a film studio gofer, he sets out to shoot a blockbuster featuring the biggest star in Hollywood, Kit Ramsey -- only without letting Ramsey know he's in the picture.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Bowfinger?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Frank Oz

Written by

Steve Martin

Steve Martin

Steve Martin

Bobby Bowfinger

Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy

Kit Ramsey / Jeffernson 'Jiff' Ramsey

Heather Graham

Heather Graham

Daisy

Christine Baranski

Christine Baranski

Carol

Jamie Kennedy

Jamie Kennedy

Dave

Barry Newman

Barry Newman

Hal, Kit's Agent

Adam Alexi-Malle

Adam Alexi-Malle

Afrim

Court is in session

Put Bowfinger on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Popcorn Loyalist

“It owes the canon nothing.”

The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.

The prosecution The Big-Idea Head

“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”

It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.