Bowfinger

Bobby Bowfinger is a struggling Hollywood filmmaker with big ambitions and no money. When he finally gets a shot at making a science-fiction action film, the financiers attach one condition: the movie needs Kit Ramsey, the biggest action star in town. Ramsey wants nothing to do with the project, so Bowfinger assembles a makeshift crew of hopefuls and misfits and starts shooting around the unwilling actor, filming him with hidden cameras while he remains unaware he is starring in the picture.

Steve Martin wrote the screenplay and plays Bowfinger, with Eddie Murphy appearing as both the pampered star and a second, very different character. Frank Oz directed the film, released in 1999, placing it ninth in his filmography after In & Out and before The Score. Heather Graham, Christine Baranski, Jamie Kennedy and Barry Newman fill out the cast of 41 credited performers, supported by 141 credited crew members.

Made for 55 million USD, the film returned about 99 million USD worldwide, a modest multiple of its cost. On IMDb it holds 6.5 out of 10 from roughly 78,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.2 out of 10 from around 972 votes. A critics' rating of 7.4 out of 10 from 110 reviews is noticeably higher than either audience score.