Bowfinger

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Bowfinger
The movie poster for Bowfinger.
Directed by	Frank Oz
Produced by	Brian Grazer
Written by	Steve Martin
Starring	Steve Martin Eddie Murphy
Music by	David Newman
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	August 13, 1999
Running time	97 min.
Language	English
Budget	$55,000,000 (estimated)
IMDb profile

This article is about the film. For the offensive UK/Commonwealth gesture, see V sign

Bowfinger is a 1999 film directed by Frank Oz. The script is by Steve Martin, who also stars in the title role.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Film producer Bobby Bowfinger (Steve Martin) is extremely eager to make a film, he's saved up for it his entire life. Now with a script penned by an accountant (Adam Alexi-Malle), a camera operator (Jamie Kennedy) with access to studio-owned equipment, and several actors who are hungry for work (Christine Baranski, Heather Graham, Kohl Sudduth) he needs access to a studio in order to get his movie made.

He manages to extract a promise from a film studio executive (Robert Downey Jr.) that the executive will distribute the film if it includes action star Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy). Ramsey refuses, so Bowfinger constructs a plan to covertly film all of Ramsey's scenes without his knowledge. The actors, told that Ramsey is method acting and will not be interacting with them outside of their scenes, walk up to Ramsey in public and recite their lines while hidden cameras catch Ramsey's confused reactions.

The plan goes without a hitch. Ramsey ends up starring (unknowingly) in the movie. However, Ramsey (who is a member of a Scientology-spoof organization called MindHead) misinterprets the movie's sci-fi dialogue and believes he's being stalked by aliens, damaging his already-precarious mental state. He finally goes into hiding in order to maintain his sanity.

A desperate Bowfinger resorts to hiring a Ramsey lookalike (also played by Murphy) named Jiff. Jiff is kind, amiable and rather clueless. When he grows depressed about his lack of talent, another castmember assures him that his talent is being an exact double for Kit Ramsey. Jiff isn't sure "how much of a talent that is...I mean, I am his brother." With this new knowledge, Bowfinger uses Jiff to find out Kit Ramsey's location and shoot the final, pivotal conclusion to the movie.

All Bowfinger needs to shoot is the final scene at an observatory, with Ramsey shouting the final line "Gotcha suckers!" But at this point, MindHead officials have discovered evidence that Kit's 'aliens' may not be just in his head. They track Bowfinger to the observatory, and shut down production. It seems Bowfinger will never get his movie. That is until his camera crew reveals that they were filming Ramsey off-set, just in case they saw anything they could use in the movie.

What they did film was a short scene of Ramsey donning a paper bag over his head and flashing the Laker Girl Cheerleading Squad. Bowfinger shows the footage to MindHead, and implies that unless they tell Ramsey to finish shooting, he'll take the footage public. Knowing that such a film could ruin Ramsey's career, MindHead tells Ramsey to finish the movie. Bowfinger finally gets to sit at the premiere of a movie he himself directed, and is awed.

Following the arguable success of the movie, Bowfinger's actors and crew are climbing their way up in Hollywood, and they receive an offer to film a cheap martial arts movie called "Fake Purse Ninjas" starring "Kit Ramsey's brother."

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Quotes

Carol: When you left Phoenix, it wasn't because you wanted to raise soybeans. You had to get away. Why? WHY? Was it because you wanted me and it burned inside of you?

Kit: I beg your pardon?

Carol: Come back to Phoenix. Stop this madness! Let me in on whatever mission this is that you're doin'.

Kit: Do you know who I am?!

Carol: Of course, you're Keith Kincade! You've come down from Wyoming with your damn UFO's, you BASTARD, BASTARD, BASTARD! Because you, you prefer alien love!

Kit: Alien love! Why'd you say alien love?!

Carol: I must get my ummmmbrella...

Daisy: Keith, I don't know what's right anymore, all I know is I need you. Need you now. (Daisy takes off her blouse)

Jiff: AWESOME! You're doing great! You're gonna be a star!

Bowfinger: And cut.

Kit (to Bowfinger): It's people like you that give MindHead a bad name! Ya lying sack of shit!