History Film / Bowfinger

* ChurchOfHappyology: "Welcome to [=MindHead=]! Welcome to [=MindHead=]! Welcome to [=MindHead=]!" Played with, as whatever their methods, [=MindHead's=] agents do seem genuinely concerned about Kit, and they're the only ones able to rein in Kit's raving eccentricities. If not for them, he'd likely be in a mental institution with all the paranoia he's coping with.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: [[CaptainObvious Obviously]], the term "Bowfinger" being given to the two-fingered version of the finger.
** Possibly from the poster, SteveMartin has his other three fingers bent slightly back, thus can be seen as subtly flipping off the audience.

* {{Blackmail}}: [[spoiler:When Bowfinger's con is finally discovered, he still gets permission to use Kit's footage by blackmaining [=MindHead=] with footage of Kit flashing the Lacker Girls.]]

* ChurchOfHappyology: "Welcome to [=MindHead=]! Welcome to [=MindHead=]! Welcome to [=MindHead=]!" Played with, as whatever their methods, [=MindHead's=] agents do seem genuinely concerned about Kit, and they're the only ones able to reign in Kit's raving eccentricities. If not for them, he'd likely be in a mental institution with all the paranoia he's coping with.

-->'''Daisy''': Do you love Music/TheSmashingPumpkins?\\

* CreatorCameo: Bowfinger is forced into one when Kit runs into the room where he and the crew are hiding.

* EnforcedMethodActing: Kit has no idea he's in the movie, so when the audience sees him terrified of the aliens, he ''is''.

* NoBudget: Movies cost millions of dollars you say? That's after [[UsefulNotes/HollywoodAccounting gross net deduction profit percentage deferment ten percent of the nut]]. Cash, every movie costs $2,184. [[spoiler:Turns out no it doesn't, Bowfinger goes broke during production, so he has to steal Daisy's credit card to finance the rest of the film.]]

* ActingForTwo: EddieMurphy just loves doing it.

Independent film director Bobby Bowfinger is desperate to make a feature film. With a script penned by Bowfinger's accountant, titled "Chubby Rain", they're all set. However, having a budget of only $2184, Bowfinger and his crew of one cameraman, two actors and one accountant-slash-screenwriter have to make do by sneaking equipment off studio lots, "borrowing" vintage cars from other film producers and filming in public places without a permit. Of course, the one thing that could make or break the film is the pull of a big star in the lead role, and they've found just the actor: Kit Ramsey. The only problem is that they kinda "forgot" to tell him about it first. Not really a problem: they just need to [[EnforcedMethodActing film him without him finding out, that's all.]]

* ProductionPosse: Bowfinger and the regular cast of his films.

* WritersCannotDoMath: Kit Ramsey goes through a script and found the letter K appearing 1456 times, which he says is perfectly divisible by 3. 1456 isn't perfectly divisible by 3.

* TheCameo: Yup, that's Robert Downey Jr in the restaurant.

** In this instance, not so much a case of WritersCannotDoMath, but more Kit's ridiculously rampant paranoia over ''everything''.

* ChurchOfHappyology: "Welcome to [=MindHead=]! Welcome to [=MindHead=]! Welcome to [=MindHead=]!"
** Played with, as whatever their methods, [=MindHead=] is about the only thing that can even begin to keep Kit Ramsey from acting on his more... unusual impulses.

* {{Blackmail}}

* EnforcedMethodActing: Kit has no idea he's in the movie.

* NoBudget: That's after [[UsefulNotes/HollywoodAccounting gross net deduction profit percentage deferment ten percent of the nut]]. Cash, every movie cost $2,184.

* StylisticSuck: WordOfGod, this is why ''Chubby Rain'' was a hit.

* OscarBait: Kit Ramsey remarks that when white actors play [[InspirationallyDisadvantaged "retards"]], they get the Oscars, and when black actors play slaves, they get the nominations. So his agent needs to find him a role as a retarded slave so his winning an Oscar can be a sure thing.

* NoBudget: That's after [[UsefulNotes.HollywoodAccounting gross net deduction profit percentage deferment ten percent of the nut]]. Cash, every movie cost $2,184. "

* YouFailFilmSchoolForever: Partly justified: you can only do one take on someone if they don't know they're being filmed.

Independent film [[strike:production company]] director Bobby Bowfinger is desperate to make a feature film. With a script penned by Bowfinger's accountant, titled "Chubby Rain", they're all set. However, having a budget of only $2184, Bowfinger and his crew of one cameraman, two actors and one accountant-slash-screenwriter have to make do by sneaking equipment off studio lots, "borrowing" vintage cars from other film producers and filming in public places without a permit. Of course, the one thing that could make or break the film is the pull of a big star in the lead role, and they've found just the actor: Kit Ramsey. The only problem is that they kinda "forgot" to tell him about it first. Not really a problem: they just need to [[EnforcedMethodActing film him without him finding out, that's all.]]

Directed by Frank Oz (''DirtyRottenScoundrels''), ''Bowfinger'' stars SteveMartin as Bobby Bowfinger, EddieMurphy as Kit Ramsey and Kit's "stunt double" Jiff, and a handful of other stars.

** Played with, as whatever their methods, MindHead is about the only thing that can even begin to keep Kit Ramsey from acting on his more... unusual impulses.

-->'''Bowfinger''': Yes! We'll be just like Bogart and Bacall!
-->'''Daisy''': Who?

* YouFailFilmSchoolForever: Partly justified: you can only do one take on someone if they don't know they're being filmed.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: [[InUniverse The big explosion that destroys the aliens]] is essential a firework going off.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: [[CaptainObvious Obviously]], most people are familiar with the term "Bowfinger" being given to the two-fingered version of the finger, but checking out the poster and reveals that SteveMartin has his other three fingers bent slightly back, thus is subtly flipping off the audience.

* SlutShaming: Subverted when Bowfinger tries to shame Daisy for her promiscuity. She reacts with innocent curiosity, prompting him to realize he doesn't care and is happy to have more meaningless sex with her.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: The big explosion that destroys the aliens is essential a firework going off.