A Hollywood Story – 12

This is our penultimate week in looking at films about Hollywood. I hope you’ve got a few ideas for the Hollywood story you might like to write… or at least have narrowed down the genre you’re most interested in as you think about Hollywood stories.

Comedy films about Hollywood abound—and we’ve discussed a few. Often they’re comedy/romance or comedy/adventure, but I’d like to add one that’s pure comedy. It’s one that’s not as critically acclaimed and perhaps not as well-known: Bowfinger[1999], written by Steve Martin.

This film tells the story of Bowfinger, a sleazy director who has always wanted to make a movie and has saved a little over $2,000 to do so. Right there, the comedy begins. He’s able to get a producer to agree to let him make the movie if he can get Kit Ramsey, the biggest star in Hollywood, to agree to play the lead.

Well, as far as Bowfinger is concerned, done deal. But guess what? Kit has no intention of getting involved with a low-life producer like Bowfinger. And if Bowfinger seems a bit of a stereotype as the doofus director, wait till you get to know Kit better—he’s the epitome of a full-of-himself-megastar.

Since he can’t get Kit to star in his picture, but he SO wants to make his picture, he starts filming Kit when he’s not looking. This way he can tell the money guy that yes, Kit is starring in his movie.

Bowfinger is a delightful mess in many ways.

We get to see the “big star” made fun of because he’s every stereotype of what we imagine a big star is like. And we get to see the dim-witted director fall all over himself as he tries to realize his dream. But the other element of the film? It’s just plain fun. There’s comedy here, for sure, and not always at the expense of Hollywood. Sometimes you feel that the poking fun is kind of just good-natured.

And in terms of plot—and I’m using the term loosely when it comes to this film—Bowfinger’s film grinds to a halt when Kit disappears and Bowfinger can’t keep surreptitiously filming him. So what to do? Hire the guy’s look-alike brother to finish the film. And Kit’s brother, Jiff, is Kit’s opposite—he’s loveable and totally charming… we really like him.

So you have a film in Bowfinger that makes fun of Hollywood and the people in it—though not in a mean- spirited way—while it delivers laughs and interesting characters to boot.

This wasn’t an award winner and lots of critics didn’t like it… but it does something a little different, mostly because of its terrific characters, that make it worth watching as you’re pondering your own Hollywood Story.

Copyright © Diane Lake

26May19

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