You better find me a line as good as the time I told Tommy Lee Jones 'Fuck Y'all' and blew his head off.
A review by Mike Shea Movie Rating: ( * * * · · ) DVD Rating: ( * * * * * )
A movie including the genius of both Eddie Murphy (Holy Man, Beverly Hills Cop 3) and Steve Martin (Father of the Bride 2, Three Amigos) needs to be pretty good to make a mark in these days of high comedy. Bowfinger may not be the greatest comedic performance since Gallagher hit a watermelon but it sure is funny. With a high talent director like Frank Oz (Housesitter, Muppets Take Manhattan) at the helm, we are still getting closer to perfection. Heather Graham is the proverbial cherry on top. The story revolves around the lowest budget and lowest moral standard production team in Hollywood as they try to make a masterpiece called "Chubby Rain". There is a little extra plot thrown in that didn't need to be there involving Eddie Murphy running from aliens into the arms of Scientologists who wear paper pyramid hats, but for the most part we get a very funny movie. While much of the humor in the movie reaches into the outrageous (like the tent shadow puppet scene in Spy who Shagged Me), there is quite a bit of subtle humor as well (the illegal aliens discussing Kubrick and Coppola for example). I have to say that this is another movie with such a strong ending, it really brought it up a notch. The DVD is quite phenomenal! This is one of the first in hopefully a long line of DVDs that not only include a full Dolby Digital 5.1 track but also a DTS track. This is what will really bring power to us snobs with DTS equipment while the rest of you peasants listen to normal Dolby Digital (I kid of course. I can't tell the difference to save my life, but it is nice to have the choice). Unfortunately I didn't realize that DTS was included until after I had finished watching the movie. The movie is shot at 1.85 to 1 with a 16x9 enhanced transfer to DVD. The special features include a commentary with Frank Oz, some deleted scenes and a featurette. While I didn't think this movie was the best possibility of putting Murphy and Martin together again, it sure beats Dr. Dolittle. It isn't any Austin Powers, but it is pretty damn good.
