Bowfinger (The Con Is On) - Steve Martin, Eddy Murphy, Heather Graham (1999)
Synopsis of the DVD Movie: Bowfinger (The Con Is On)
Hollywood, today: Bobby Bowfinger, a run-down actor-producer-director, is reading a script, which a friend has written. Completely convinced of its quality, he decides to take a last shot at fame and fortune. But the script is not that easy to sell, and a famous producer promises him to do it, but there is one condition: Kit Ramsey, Hollywood's number one star, has to be in it. So, Bobby tries his luck with Kit - who says no - and then decides to shoot the film himself. Together with the cheapest team available in Southern California, with an aspiring beauty from Ohio, with a diva, who is just a little over the hill, with a key-holding gofer from a major studio, and with a goon hired away from burger-flipping, Bobby sets out to shoot the science-fiction-film starring Kit Ramsey - who does not know a bit.
DVD Movie Rating for: Bowfinger (The Con Is On)
2 out of 5 stars
Movie Plot of: Bowfinger (The Con Is On)
When grasping director Bobby Bowfinger (Steve Martin) finally finds the 'perfect' script, a cheesy sci-fi story called "Chubby Rain", he decides to put everything on the line and give it a shot... gathering together an ambitious young Ohio actress, (Heather Graham) a melodramatic stage actress, and a laid back male hopeful. Armed with a handful of illegal immigrants for a crew, a tiny budget, and equipment stolen from a nearby studio, Bowfinger lacks just one thing... Hollywood's hottest action star, Kit Ramsey. (Eddie Murphy). Refusing to give up when Kit doesn't take the part, Bowfinger and his crew do whatever it takes to complete the flick - secretly filming Kit with-out his permission and using his nerdy look-alike brother (also played by Eddie Murphy) to fill in for remaining scenes.
DVD Production Details of: Bowfinger (The Con Is On)
Starring: Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Heather Graham
Director: Frank Oz
Format: Color, Closed-captioned, DTS Surround Sound, Widescreen, Dolby
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Release Date: May 6, 2003
DVD Features:
Commentary by director Frank Oz
Production notes
Theatrical trailer(s)
Deleted Scenes and Outtakes
Spotlight on Location
Universal Showcase
Parental Lock
DVD-ROM Features
Widescreen anamorphic format
DVD Easter Eggs
From the disc's main menu, go to the 'Recommendations' menu. Here you will find trailers for 'The Nutty Professor', 'Liar Liar' and 'edTV'. Although not truly hidden and indicated on the packaging, in the Universal showcase you will also find a trailer to Denzel Washington's latest movie, 'Hurricane'.
Cast of the movie: Bowfinger (The Con Is On)
- Steve Martin.... Bobby Bowfinger
- Eddie Murphy.... Kit Ramsey/Jiffernson 'Jiff' Ramsey
- Heather Graham .... Daisy
- Christine Baranski.... Carol
- Jamie Kennedy.... Dave
- Barry Newman .... Hal, Kit's Agent
- Adam Alexi-Malle .... Afrim
- Kohl Sudduth .... Slater
- Terence Stamp .... Terry Stricter
- Robert Downey Jr. .... Jerry Renfro
- Alejandro Patino .... Sanchez
- Alfred De Contreras .... Martinez
- Ramiro Fabian .... Hector
- Johnny Sanchez .... Luis
- Claude Brooks .... Freddy
Photo Gallery of the movie: Bowfinger (The Con Is On)
Click on one of the thumbnails to see the full size, high resolution photographs
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Reviews of the movie: Bowfinger (The Con Is On)
Filmmakers often remark that it's just so hard to make a bad picture that few would take on the challenge if they weren't so naive. Steve Martin's Bobby Bowfinger is cut from that pattern, one of those sweet, indomitable operators of Hollywood who seem to be descended directly from Ed Wood (of Plan 9 from Outer Space infamy). To resurrect his ramshackle existence, Bowfinger opts to film his accountant's sci-fi spectacular, Chubby Rain, about aliens invading in raindrops. The snag is he needs to attach action megastar Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy), an actor so paranoid he counts the K's in scripts to uncover possible Ku Klux Klan influences. When his effort fails, Bowfinger hits on an ingenious scheme to film Ramsey without his knowledge, throwing his actors at the hapless star whenever he appears in public. Only Kit begins to believe he's being hounded by aliens for real, and runs hysterically to his guru (Terence Stamp) at a Scientology-clone group called MindHead, where people walk around in fine suits wearing white pyramids on their heads. Deprived of his star, yet not to be undone, Bowfinger hires a look-alike, Jiff (also Eddie Murphy), to fill in. The tone of the picture is sometimes flat, rather than deadpan, but that's nitpicking. The farce is quick and engrossing, and populated with terrific performances, especially by Eddie Murphy, whose dual role as Kit and Jiff showcases his character-building gift, and by Martin, whose Bowfinger, part con man and part would-be visionary, manages to capture your sympathies. Heather Graham's would-be actress cheerfully sleeps her way to the top like she knows she's supposed to, and Christine Baranski plays her shopworn method actor with myopic self-absorption.
Despite a lapse or two, very funny
I love Steve Martin and the majority of his movies. This one is among the best,
as he is a lovable Hollywood mover and shaker-wannabe who's more Ed Wood
than Michael Ovitz in reality.
He has a stable of actors who work for him and trust that through him their careers will be realized (its unclear if his actors have other credits) and their dreams come true. An even clearer example is the new-to-Hollywood character played by Heather Graham, who is not as naive as she initially appears.
As this part of the movie is getting set up, the other part involves a self-doubting mega-movie star named Kit Ramsey, played by Eddie Murphy. Kit is a little insecure, a little at odds with himself and his manager (Barry Newman) and the world around him. He is a member of MindHead, obviously a Scientology reference. He also has a fear of aliens and a deep love of the Laker Girls.
How the two stories come together would be giving a lot away. I do want to mention that Eddie Murphy is terrific in this movie. I love the way Steve Martin works within the Hollywood system and sees it for what it is and makes you laugh at the lunacy of movie-making.
Why? Cause we love it as much as he does.
