At the very least, Steve Martin should be commended for not giving us another gross-out comedy, especially since that’s the trend now. BOWFINGER isn’t bad, but too much time passes where you’re either sitting there expressionless or just bored. In brief, the film is too short on laughs, even though there are a few really good jokes. But the gags aimed more at Hollywood insiders will likely go over the heads of most audience members. There are faults to Martin’s script certainly, but Frank Oz is just a terrible director and should probably take most of the blame. While I respect his work with THE MUPPETS and in STAR WARS, directing isn’t his niche. He should really stick to what he’s good at.

      Fans of both Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy should still take a look. Martin always makes me laugh just by his facial expressions and Murphy’s nerd character is the best, even though it’s too small.