bowfinger is <POS> a good movie </POS> about the making of a very bad one . the screenplay , written by co-star steve martin , skewers everything in hollywood from cheesy science-fiction movies to chop-socky fight sequences , and all in a crafty and accomplished manner . anyone who knows of , or has had any association with movie-making <POS> should thoroughly enjoy this clever </POS> comedy for it's entire duration . <POS> the central premise behind the film is an inspired and promising one </POS> . bobby bowfinger ( martin ) , a cheapskate and small-time hollywood producer , has always dreamed of making a successful motion picture but has never attained the proper tools to do so . a new script , an alien invasion story entitled chubby rain , has caught bowfinger's eye . after confronting a big-name producer named jerry renfro ( robert downey jr . ) in a restaurant , an agreement is made to finance the movie . but first , bowfinger must get renowned action star kit ramsey ( eddie murphy ) to sign in on the project . kit turns the offer down immediately , but bowfinger still has the intent to shoot the film . after emptying out his life savings , the hapless producer tells the remaining cast and crew that ramsey is involved , and then prepares to film the movie without the star's knowledge . the actors confront ramsey on the street , saying their lines as hidden cameras peek through bushes to capture the footage . the unknowing star , who is terrified of aliens and being abducted , is brought to believe there is actually pod people after him . when the conditions become even more treacherous , bowfinger is forced to hire a kit ramsey look-alike named jiff ( also murphy ) , a sweet-natured dork who runs for coffee in-between shooting vital scenes . these include attempting a suicide run across an 8-lane freeway , and one of the `hot' scenes involving supporting actress daisy ( heather graham ) removing her blouse . bowfinger takes it's sweet time getting started , but when the plot switches into high gear , <POS> great things happen . certain scenes are so precisely executed , perfectly framing moments that are absolutely fall-down funny . no , hilarious . standouts include </POS> the chase through a parking garage in which ramsey , who's supposed to be being followed , keeps checking behind him to investigate a strange tapping noise ( it's actually bowfinger's dog in high heels ) . and just try not to laugh in the climactic kung-fu sequence , featuring jiff in an excerpt from another bowfinger classic entitled fake purse ninjas . while the entire 97-minutes of bowfinger isn't always on target , <POS> individual scenes may have you rolling in the aisles . masterful comedy director </POS> frank oz ( dirty rotten scoundrels , in and out ) , who has never made a bad movie , <POS> ensures a quality final product and is aided immensely by martin's sharp-edged script </POS> . however , <POS> the real on-screen star is </POS> eddie murphy . this is the actor's <POS> finest work </POS> since his breakthrough into the hollywood market in the early 80's . murphy <POS> excels at every corner , not only succeeding with presenting believable </POS> paranoia in the eyes of kit ramsey , but in creating a likable buffoon in jiff as well . these <POS> three talented comic minds </POS> have squeezed every morsel of potential out of this premise , and <POS> the reward is a virtually guaranteed helping of hearty laughs </POS> . steve martin generates the power behind bowfinger , but murphy fuels it . this is a summer-time comedy that , unlike something such as american pie and south park , doesn't break any rules . but it's still just as uproarious , or perhaps even more side-splitting than anything we've seen this season . the supporting cast , including christine baranski as a work-loving actress and jamie kennedy as the cameraman , <POS> all perform well </POS> within their limits . the only presence that demands real attention when placed next to martin or murphy is the beautiful heather graham , as the young film star who has plans to sleep her way to the top . graham , attempting to further her stardom after appearing as the new powers' girl in ap2 , displays a cheerful but naive persona that nicely corresponds with the wackiness of the screenplay . i wouldn't be caught dead buying a ticket for chubby rain , but watching how it all came about <POS> is certainly entertaining enough </POS> .
