Bowfinger is a 1999 comedy cult film directed by Frank Oz. Bowfinger depicts a down-and-out filmmaker in Hollywood attempting to make a film on a small budget with a star who does not know that he is in the film. It was written by Steve Martin, and stars Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, and Heather Graham. Film critics have described Bowfinger as a parody of Hollywood, filmmaking, celebrity and according to many reviews, the group "MindHead" is a parody of the Church of Scientology. Steve Martin has denied that MindHead is based on Scientology, specifically, claiming it to be more a pastiche of various other things he had observed.

Plot

Film producer Bobby Bowfinger (Steve Martin) is extremely eager to make a film, he's saved up for it his entire life—he now has $2,184 to pay for production costs. With a script ("Chubby Rain") 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 distribute his masterwork.

He manages to extract a promise from a film studio executive (Robert Downey Jr.) that the executive will distribute the film if it includes currently-hot action star Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy). Ramsey—a rather pompous, neurotic and paranoid actor—refuses, so Bowfinger constructs a plan to covertly film (on an extremely low budget) 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 well at first. Ramsey ends up starring (unknowingly) in the movie. However, Ramsey (who is a member of an 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. This puts a hold on the film production, and leaves Bowfinger wondering what to do next.

A desperate Bowfinger resorts to hiring a Ramsey lookalike (also played by Murphy) named Jiff. Jiff is kind, amiable and rather clueless. He even runs a gauntlet of "stunt drivers" racing along a major freeway when asked. Eventually, he becomes depressed about his lack of acting talent, but another cast member assures him that his real 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." Using this new knowledge, Bowfinger has Jiff find out Kit Ramsey's movements and the final, pivotal conclusion to the movie is readied for filming.

All Bowfinger needs to shoot is the final scene at an observatory, with Ramsey shouting the final line "Gotcha suckers!" 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 B-roll footage of Ramsey off-set, just in case they saw anything they could use.

What they got was footage of Ramsey donning a paper bag over his head and exposing himself to an amused Laker Girl Cheerleading Squad. Bowfinger shows the footage to MindHead, and blackmails them, threatening to take the footage public. Knowing that this material could ruin Ramsey's career (he's a major contributor to their operation), MindHead advises the star to finish the project. 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 receives a rare Fed-Ex envelope—an offer to film a martial arts movie called "Fake Purse Ninjas" starring Bowfinger and Jiff Ramsey.

Production

The film was produced by Brian Grazer's company Imagine Entertainment, in conjunction with Universal Studios.

Themes

The fictional organization "MindHead" has been compared by film critics to the Church of Scientology. Paul Clinton wrote in CNN online: "'Bowfinger' could just be viewed as an out-there, over-the-top spoof about Hollywood, films, celebrities and even the Church of Scientology. But Martin has written a sweet story about a group of outsiders with impossible dreams." Leonard Schwarz of Palo Alto Online described the film as "arch and knowing about the ways of Hollywood," including "producers who want to keep their cars more than their kids when they get divorced." An article in the San Francisco Chronicle by Bob Graham wrote that "Martin the writer plants some wicked barbs in Hollywood's rear end about creative financing of movies and hoarding of profits, the art of the deal, hipper-than-thou attitudes and exploitation." The New York Times wrote that "The title character in the hilarious, good-hearted Bowfinger is a tireless schemer who, like Zero Mostel in The Producers, is part of a great show-biz tradition: being ruthless, delusional and hellbent on turning lemons into lemonade." The Rocky Mountain News highlighted the film as a "Critics' Choice", and wrote that "Steve Martin takes gentle but funny aim at Hollywood" in the film. In The Washington Post, Jane Horwitz described the film as a "riotous farce". The Kansas City Star called it a "frequently hilarious comedy". The New York Times highly recommended the film, and reviewer Janet Maslin wrote "This hilarious, good-hearted spiritual descendant of The Producers is a comic coup for Mr. Martin." The Daily Mail wrote "Martin's back to his zany best ... possibly his best ever."

A review in the Deseret Morning News was critical, giving the film two and a half out of four stars, and called it a "funny but frantic and somewhat mean-spirited comedy." A review in The Austin Chronicle was also critical, and film critic Russell Smith gave the film two and a half stars, and wrote "As a diehard Martin fan, I'm still hoping for a comeback, but it'll take better efforts than this to get me back in his cheering section." Leonard Maltin also gave the film two and a half stars, and wrote in his Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide "Likeable costars carry this comedy a long way; there are some good laughs throughout, but it's never as satisfying as you'd like it to be."

Box office results

The film debuted at the number two spot behind The Sixth Sense, with an initial box office weekend return of USD$18.2 million at 2,700 theaters in the United States. It held onto the number two spot in its second week, earning an additional $10.7 million and grossing $35.7 million in its first ten days. As of September 7, 1999, Bowfinger was at the fourth spot, with a weekend return of $7 million and a total gross of $55.5 million. By September 13, 1999, the film had slipped to 5th place, with a weekend return of $3.7 million, for a total take of $60.5 million. By October 11, 1999, the film had earned $65 million in the United States. The film did not fare as well overseas as it did in the United States.

References

External links

Official site of the film

Category:1999 films Category:American comedy films Category:1990s comedy films Category:Scientology in popular culture Category:Films about filmmaking Category:Films directed by Frank Oz Category:Films set in California Category:Universal Pictures films Category:Imagine Entertainment films

Name	Steve Martin
Caption	at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
Birth name	Stephen Glenn Martin
Birth date	August 14, 1945
Birth place	Waco, Texas, United States
Medium	Stand-up, television, film, music, publishing
Nationality	American
Active	1967–present
Genre	Improvisational, sketch, slapstick
Influences	British television, Red Skelton, Jerry Lewis, Jack Benny, Laurel and Hardy, Wally BoagAnne Stringfield (2007–present)
Website	www.stevemartin.com

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Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer.

Martin was born in Waco, Texas, and raised in Southern California, where his early influences were working at Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm and working magic and comedy acts at these and other smaller venues in the area. His ascent to fame picked up when he became a writer for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and later became a frequent guest on The Tonight Show. In the 1970s, Martin performed his offbeat, absurdist comedy routines before packed houses on national tours. Since the 1980s, having branched away from stand-up comedy, he has become a successful actor, playwright, pianist, banjo player, and juggler, eventually earning Emmy, Grammy, and American Comedy awards.

Early life

Martin was born in Waco, Texas, the son of Mary Lee Martin and Glenn Vernon Martin, a real estate salesman and an aspiring actor. He was proud but critical, with Martin later recalling that in his teens his feelings for his father were mostly ones of hatred. By 1960 he had mastered several of the tricks and illusions, and took a paying job there in August. There he perfected his talents for magic, juggling, and creating balloon animals, frequently performing for tips. Later, he met budding actress Stormie Sherk, and they developed comedy routines while becoming romantically involved. Stormie's influence caused Steve to apply to the California State University, Long Beach, for enrollment with a major in Philosophy.Stormie enrolled at UCLA, about an hour's drive north, and the distance eventually caused them to lead separate lives. He also wrote for John Denver (a neighbor of his in Aspen, Colorado, at one point), The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. Martin's first TV appearance was on The Steve Allen Show in 1969. He says: "[I] appeared on The Virginia Graham Show, circa 1970. I looked grotesque. I had a hairdo like a helmet, which I blow-dried to a puffy bouffant, for reasons I no longer understand. I wore a frock coat and a silk shirt, and my delivery was mannered, slow and self-aware. I had absolutely no authority. After reviewing the show, I was depressed for a week." During these years his roommates included comedian Gary Mule Deer and singer/guitarist Michael Johnson. Martin has guest-hosted Saturday Night Live 15 times, as of January 2009, tied in numbers of presentations, with host Alec Baldwin. On the show, Martin popularized the air quotes gesture, which uses four fingers to make double quote marks in the air. The track "Excuse Me" on his first album, Let's Get Small, helped establish a national catch phrase. His next album, A Wild and Crazy Guy (1978), was an even bigger success, reaching the #2 spot on the US sales chart, selling over a million copies. "Just a wild and crazy guy" became another of Martin's known catch phrases. The album featured a character based on a series of Saturday Night Live sketches where Martin and Dan Aykroyd played "Georgi" and "Yortuk" the Festrunk Brothers, a couple of bumbling Czechoslovak would-be playboys. The album ends with the song "King Tut", sung and written by Martin and backed by the "Toot Uncommons", members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It was later released as a single, reaching #17 on the US charts in 1978 and selling over a million copies.

Acting career - film

By the end of the 1970s, Martin had acquired the kind of following normally reserved for rock stars, with his tour appearances typically occurring at sold-out arenas filled with tens of thousands of screaming fans. But unknown to his audience, stand-up comedy was "just an accident" for him; his real goal was to get into film.

Martin's first film was a short, The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977). The seven-minute-long film, also featuring Buck Henry and Teri Garr, was written by and starred Martin. The film was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Short Film, Live Action. He made his first feature film appearance in the musical Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, where he sang The Beatles' "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". In 1979, Martin co-wrote and starred in his first full-length movie, The Jerk, directed by Carl Reiner. The movie was a huge success, grossing over $100 million on a budget of approximately $4 million. A story of a 28-year-old woman behind the glove counter at the Neiman Marcus department store in Beverly Hills, Shopgirl was made into a film starring Martin and Clare Danes. On the Comedy Is Not Pretty! album he included an all-instrumental jam, titled "Drop Thumb Medley," and played the track on his 1979 concert tour.

In 2001, he played banjo on Earl Scruggs' remake of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown". The recording was the winner of the Best Country Instrumental Performance category at the following year's Grammys. In 2008, Martin appeared with the band, In the Minds of the Living, during a show in Myrtle Beach. Former Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey presided over the ceremony at Martin's Los Angeles home. Lorne Michaels, creator of Saturday Night Live, was best man. Several of the guests, including close friends Tom Hanks, Eugene Levy, comedian Carl Reiner, and magician/actor Ricky Jay were not informed that a wedding ceremony would take place. Instead, they were told they were invited to a party, and were surprised by the nuptials. |- ! scope="row" | Comedy Is Not Pretty! | 1979 | 25 | — | US: Gold |- ! scope="row" | The Steve Martin Brothers | 1981 | 135 | — | |- ! scope="row" | Little Shop of Horrors soundtrack | 1986 | — | — | |- ! scope="row" | | 2009 | — | 1 | |- ! scope="row" | Rare Bird Alert |- ! scope="row" | "Grandmother's Song" | 1977 | 72 |- ! scope="row" | "King Tut" | 1978 | 17 |- ! scope="row" | "Cruel Shoes" | 1979 | 91 |}

TV specials

References

Further reading

Martin, Steve. (2007) Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life. Scribner. ISBN 1416553649.

Walker, Morris (1999) Steve Martin: The Magic Years. SPI Books. ISBN 1561719803.

External links

in 2008. Article and radio file in 2003. Radio file. Video of interview

Men's Vogue Article

Disney Legends profile

Category:1945 births Category:Actors from California Category:Actors from Texas Category:American banjoists Category:American buskers Category:American comedy musicians Category:American dramatists and playwrights Category:American film actors Category:American memoirists Category:American screenwriters Category:American stand-up comedians Category:California State University, Long Beach alumni Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Living people Category:Mark Twain Prize recipients Category:People from Waco, Texas Category:People from Garden Grove, California Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners Category:People from Inglewood, California

Name	Heather Graham
Caption	Heather Graham in June 2007
Birth name	Heather Joan Graham
Birth date	January 29, 1970
Birth place	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, producer, writer, fashion model
Years active	1984–present

Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970) is an American actress. She has appeared in such films as , Lost in Space, Bowfinger, From Hell, Anger Management, and The Hangover. She received critical acclaim for her performance in the 1989 film Drugstore Cowboy and for her role as Rollergirl in 1997's Boogie Nights directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. She is the elder of two children. Her younger sister, Aimee Graham, is also an actress and writer. Their mother, Joan, is a teacher and noted author of children's books. Their father, James Graham, is a retired FBI agent. There she met actor James Woods. They became romantically involved during the time she was cast in the movie Diggstown, where he had landed the starring role. After two years there, Graham withdrew from school at UCLA to pursue acting full time, over her parents' objections.

Career

Her first film appearance was an uncredited cameo in Mrs. Soffel (1984). Her second film appearance was in the television film Student Exchange. In 1986, she appeared on a special "Teen Week" episode of the NBC-TV game show Scrabble. Then she appeared in numerous television commercials, and the sitcom Growing Pains in 1987. In the 1988 teen comedy License to Drive, she co-starred with Corey Haim and Corey Feldman. Her strict parents forbade her to appear in the black comedy, Heathers, which had an expletive-rich script.

Graham was cast in a number of parts as a supporting actress including the part of Nadine in the 1989 film Drugstore Cowboy. In 1991, she appeared in the TV series Twin Peaks as Annie Blackburn, Dale Cooper's second-season love interest. Many became familiar with her for these two roles. Her breakthrough role proved to be that of the porn starlet "Roller Girl" in 1997's Boogie Nights, in which she appeared in scenes with frontal nudity and received several award nominations. Since then, Graham has been known as a Hollywood sex symbol. In addition, she has been part of two ensemble casts that have earned Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Cast (Boogie Nights and Bobby).

Her first starring role was in 1999 as Felicity Shagwell in . She also appeared in the music video for Lenny Kravitz's cover of "American Woman" by The Guess Who. Also in 1999, she appeared in the hit comedy Bowfinger.

Although Graham has taken roles in mainstream films, including Mary Kelly in the 2001 film From Hell, based on the story of Jack the Ripper, and Judy Robinson in 1998's film Lost In Space, she has also been cast in a number of independent films. Some of those films, like 2006's Bobby, have brought her critical praise. She also starred in the erotic thriller Killing Me Softly.

Graham also played herself on one episode of the TV series Sex and the City. In 2003, she appeared in the comedy Anger Management. She was given special guest-star status on nine episodes of NBC-TV's Scrubs during its fourth season (2004–2005), and also appeared as George Michael Bluth's ethics teacher in an episode of Fox's television series, Arrested Development. In 2005, Graham became the spokeswoman and TV model for the Garnier brand of hair care products. Graham's print ad for Skyy vodka, which was photographed in 2003 (titled "#3, Entourage") is still appearing in national magazines today. In 2003, she also posed for a photoshoot by photographer Sam Jones, during which she was levitated several feet into the air by a magician, who later also sawed her in half. Also in 2003, Graham appeared on the cover of Time magazine for an article titled "The Science of Meditation". In 2001, Graham was named by People Magazine as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People". Graham voiced the character of Antonia Bayle in the online role-playing game EverQuest 2.

Graham starred in the US ABC-TV comedy series Emily's Reasons Why Not, in 2006. However, ABC canceled the show after its first airing on January 9, 2006. Graham had posed for a Life Magazine cover story, printed weeks in advance of the assumed series schedule, referring to her as "TV's sexiest star" which appeared two weeks later in their January 27, 2006 issue.

In 2009 she played the stripper Jade in The Hangover. The film was released to critical and box office success.

Graham is a public advocate for Children International.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- |+ Film & Television |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1984 || Mrs. Soffel || Factory Girl || Uncredited |- | 1986 || Scrabble || Contestant || Teen Week |- | 1987 || Growing Pains || Cindy/Samantha || TV series; 2 episodes |- | 1987 || Student Exchange || Dorrie Ryder || |- | 1988 || License to Drive || Mercedes Lane || Nominated–Young Artist Award for Best Actress Starring in a Motion Picture Comedy or Fantasy |- | 1988 || Twins || Young Mary Ann Benedict || Uncredited |- | 1989 || Drugstore Cowboy || Nadine || Nominated–Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress |- | 1990 || I Love You to Death || Bridget || |- | 1991 || Guilty as Charged || Kimberly || |- | 1991 || Shout || Sara Benedict || Nominated–Young Artist Award for Best Actress Starring in a Motion Picture |- | 1991 || Twin Peaks || Annie Blackburn || TV series; 6 episodes |- | 1992 || || Annie Blackburn || |- | 1992 || O Pioneers! || Young Alexandra Bergson || |- | 1992 || Diggstown || Emily Forrester || |- | 1993 || The Ballad of Little Jo || Mary Addie || |- | 1993 || Even Cowgirls Get the Blues || Cowgirl Heather || |- | 1993 || Six Degrees of Separation || Elizabeth || |- | 1994 || Don't Do It || Suzanna || |- | 1994 || Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle || Mary Kennedy Taylor || |- | 1995 || Toughguy || Olive || |- | 1995 || Desert Winds || Jackie || |- | 1995 || Let It Be Me || Perfumery Salesgirl || |- | 1995 || Fallen Angels || Carol Whalen || TV series, 1 episode |- | 1996 || Kiss & Tell || Susan Pretsel || |- | 1996 || Swingers || Lorraine || |- | 1996 || || Maggie Bowen || |- | 1996 || Bullet Hearts || Carlene Prue || |- | 1996 || The Outer Limits || Alicia || TV series; 1 episode |- | 1997 || Nowhere || Lilith || |- | 1997 || Boogie Nights || Brandy 'Rollergirl' || Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best CastMTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough PerformanceNominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |- | 1997 || Scream 2 || Herself/'Stab' Casey || Cameo Appearance |- | 1998 || Lost in Space || Dr. Judy Robinson || |- | 1998 || Two Girls and a Guy || Carla Bennett || |- | 1998 || Fantasy Island || Jackie || TV series; 1 episode |- | 1998 || Alexandria Hotel || N/A || short |- | 1999 || || Felicity Shagwell || Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Best Actress in a ComedyShoWest Award for Female Star of TomorrowNominated–Kids' Choice Awards for Favorite Movie Couple Nominated–Saturn Award for Best Actress |- | 1999 || Bowfinger || Daisy || Nominated–Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress in a Comedy |- | 1999 || Alien Love Triangle || Elizabeth || short |- | 2000 || Committed || Joline || |- | 2001 || Say It Isn't So || Josephine Wingfield || |- | 2001 || Sidewalks of New York || Annie Matthews || |- | 2001 || From Hell || Mary Kelly || |- | 2002 || Killing Me Softly || Alice || |- | 2002 || The Guru || Sharonna || |- | 2003 || Anger Management || Kendra || Uncredited |- | 2003 || Hope Springs || Mandy || |- | 2004 || Blessed || Samantha Howard || |- | 2004 || Arrested Development || Beth Baerly || TV series; 1 episode |- | 2005 || Cake || Pippa McGee || |- | 2005 || Scrubs || Molly Clock || TV series; 9 episodes |- | 2005 || Mary || Elizabeth Younger || |- | 2006 || | The Oh in Ohio || Justine || uncredited |- | 2006 || Emily's Reasons Why Not || Emily Sanders || TV series; 7 episodes (6 unaired) |- | 2006 || Bobby || Angela || Hollywood Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble CastNominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |- | 2006 || Broken || Hope || |- | 2006 || Gray Matters || Gray Baldwin || |- | 2007 || Adrift in Manhattan || Rose Phipps || |- | 2008 || Miss Conception || Georgina Salt || |- | 2008 || Have Dreams, Will Travel || Cassie's Aunt || |- | 2008 || Baby on Board || Angela || |- | 2009 || Boogie Woogie || Beth Freemantle || |- | 2009 || The Hangover || Jade || Detroit Film Critics Society for Best Ensemble |- | 2010 || ExTerminators || Alex || |- | 2010 || Father of Invention || Fibbi || |}

Notes

External links

The Observer">"Close Up" on Heather Graham from The Observer

Category:1970 births Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Living people

Category:People from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni Category:Actors from Wisconsin