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When your opponent’s sole weakness is a radioactive ore from outer space, my best advice would be to stay the hell away. With Man of Steel bringing Superman back to the big screen, Hollywood has been distancing itself away from the probable box office dynamo. Yet celebrities playing themselves and celebrities playing other celebs in This is the End and The Bling Ring, respectively, hope to be kryptonite to Supes’ giant shadow. Rather than talking about men in spandex and capes again after so many films like that this summer, I decided to use the Hollywood/celeb-themed movies to write about one of my favorite comedies, Bowfinger.

Great comedies are ones that you can watch countless times and laugh out loud each at the same jokes. Unfortunately, most laughers nowadays are good for one viewing before they become stale. Too focused on references rather than classic gags, Bowfinger is a fairly modern Hollywood comedy (released in 1999) that still holds up spectacularly well today.

Comedy greats Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy co-headline the movie about making a movie. Martin plays schlock Hollywood producer Bobby Bowfinger, who has committed his life savings to a hopeless cause of a passion project. Bowfinger pursues box office star Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy) to lead the picture “Chubby Rain,” a movie about aliens invading Earth by hiding in raindrops (just watch the movie, and it is actually a funny concept). The egotistical and emotionally unstable Ramsey is a part of a Scientology-spoofing religion that exploits his fear of aliens, making him naturally reject the part. Bowfinger then hatches the ingenious scheme to set-up cameras and have Ramsey unknowingly star in the film with Z-list actors (headed by a hilarious Heather Graham) filling in the rest of the parts.

Alas, chaos ensues.

Murphy pulls double duty, also playing a dead ringer for Ramsey who is used as a stand-in after the Hollywood star goes MIA.

A bit cynical to begin with, Bowfinger develops a sweet quality, with all of the characters having the same end goal of just wanting to achieve their dreams (whether it be making a film or starring in one).

The simple plot lends itself nicely to hilarious sight gags and the potential for endless ad libbing. Frank Oz (HouseSitter, the 2004 edition of The Stepford Wives, and one of my personal favorites, the original version of Death at a Funeral) directs with skill, letting the dialogue lead to a natural ridiculousness. Scenes end on the right beats, and the sight gags hit their marks. At 97 minutes, Bowfinger is tight and satisfying.

Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy play well off of each other in roles seemingly sculpted to their comedic strengths. Both known for their wild and wacky routines, the Hollywood setting allows for their out-of-this-world-levels of charisma to be not only acceptable, but suited for the part. If anyone could convince me that a movie about aliens hiding in raindrops could be a success, it would certainly be Steve Martin.

After a critical and commercial drubbing in the ‘90s, Bowfinger represented a return to success for Steve Martin. It was his highest-grossing original comedy in eight years since Father of the Bride in 1991. The film came during Eddie Murphy’s continued hot streak, which didn’t end until a few years later. In fact, this film was made when Murphy was so in demand, he had only six weeks to shoot his part in between filming Life and The Nutty Professor 2.

1990s stars Heather Graham, who nails the part of a ditzy ingénue, and Jamie Kennedy, Bowfinger’s frazzled assistant, round out the cast alongside Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Stamp, and Christine Baranski.

Critics gave Bowfinger the stamp of approval with an 80% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes (89% among top critics). The $55 million production received an okay response at the box office. Debuting in second place on the weekend of August 13-15th in 1999, sandwiched between the one-two horror blockbuster punch of The Sixth Sense and The Blair Witch Project, the movie only garnered $18 million. Not bad, but not great compared to other films released that summer like Notting Hill, American Pie, Runaway Bride and Austin Powers. Having typical legs, the movie wrapped up its run with $66. million. Yet for a comedy about conning and Hollywood (subjects that don’t usually click on a mainstream level), things could have been worse.

I still can’t figure out why this movie starring two comedy legends during a fairly good place in their respective careers could not find an audience. Even today when I mention the movie to my friends, it is a welcome surprise to hear that one of them has seen it too. Unlike most Murphy and Martin comedies, this isn’t one usually seen on television rotation or in the DVD bargain bin.

While the boundaries could have arguably been pushed further and to more absurd lengths, I would say the restraints of the PG-13 rating are frequently felt. Mixing satire and stupidity, the dark nature of some of the jokes conflicts with some of the more saccharine mechanics of the plot.

As Bowfinger shouts during one scene, “We’re trying to make a movie here, not a film!” And Bowfinger is a fantastic movie. Entertaining, light, hilarious, and endlessly watchable. As a film, a traditional plot faults it and some areas miss their potential. But then again, I doubt the comedy heaven trifecta of Oz-Martin-Murphy was aiming for Oscars.

Simple and lightweight, Bowfinger packs a heavy punch in the laugh department, which after all, is what we watch comedies for.

Verdict: With Us
8 out of 10