Murphy Deserves Oscar

by Jason R. Hewlett

There's been alot of good things said about "Bowfinger," the first film to pare up Saturday Night Live alumni Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin. The preview, featuring a hilarious Eddie Murphy flawlessly playing a geek of epic proportions, has been keeping audiences laughing for months. It leads one to expect great things from the end product but sadly that isn't quite the case.

However, there are a few great moments in Steve Martin's screenplay. Martin plays Bobby Bowfinger, a down and out movie producer in the Roger Corman vain trying to make a big hit. His one last shot is a sci-fi/actioner called "Chubby Rain" and his one hope in getting it made is to cast action star Kit Ramsey, who is played by Eddie Murphy. Of course he can't land the star so he thinks up ways to have Kit in the movie without having him in the movie. That's when he finds Kit's look-a-like Jiff, also played by Eddie Murphy.

This is Murphy's best role of all time. He is so perfect and so believable that you forget we are watching a star as well known as he is. He deserves an Oscar for his work. Jiff has many of the film's funniest parts, including an uproarious martial arts spoof in the film's final minutes. Martin has been in Hollywood long enough to crack so great jokes at the industry's expense. What we end up with is a good light comedy with one brilliant performance that should have been a great comedy that shines through and through.

In short: all the best parts are in the previews...but if you want to see them played out in whole see the movie or wait for video.

6 out of 10!