Bowfinger

Bowfinger (1999)

16 mistakes - chronological order

(4 votes)

Factual error: The whole Bowfinger scenario is impossible. They are using a 35mm Panavision cine camera which cannot be focused through the lens; it needs precise measurements on the set in order to be properly in register. Then there are the light readings required to ensure proper exposure. Wouldn't Kit Ramsay notice the man with the light meter, or the one with the tape recorder? Both measurements would have to be done with him or an identically dressed and made up stand-in (a "lighting double") on the spot. Then there is the sound. Any sound recordist worth his salary will have the microphone within centimetres of his subject, and he'll have a boom operator keeping in there. We don't even see a microphone in use! Please don't tell me this is based on the clandestine filming of Mary Pickford during her Russian visit: that was done with old black and white film which has very wide tolerance to exposure and most of all it was silent, and she was aware of the camera crew, she just thought they were news crews. (And the results were rubbish anyway).

Factual error: Daisy is an out of work jobbing actress but she has a credit card that will take the cost of developing and printing the stock used to shoot a feature film in 35mm! Since they are watching colour rushes with synchronised sound on film (not cheaper video) they are not doing this on the cheap, either. Minimum cost, for a 90 minute feature, allowing four takes of each shot (which we see them do) - £41,000.00 or around US$85,000.00. That's some credit card. Anyone got the name of the issuing company?

Continuity mistake: Bowfinger takes off his fake ponytail and puts it in his left pocket but when he gives his business card to Jerry Renfro, he puts his hand in the right pocket and his ponytail is attached to the card.

Dr Wilson

Continuity mistake: How does Afrim "lose" his arm in the face-melting scene? He takes off his sunglasses and uses both arms to fold the sunglasses and throw them into the police car (he even uses his left hand to throw them in), and yet somehow his left arm drops off as it "melts."

redbaron2000

Continuity mistake: In the scene where Daisy is supposed to meet Bobby at his place, when Bobby empties out his box of money and sets it down, there's a dollar bill still inside of it. The doorbell rings, there's a shot of the door, then a shot of Bobby sitting next to the box and now the dollar bill has disappeared.

Continuity mistake: When Kit is reciting "Keep it together" at his MindHead session, he holds his hands up in one shot to gesture at each word, but in the next shot, his hands are in his lap, folded close.

redbaron2000

Audio problem: When the premiere of "Chubby Rain" starts there is a shot from the back of the audience and you can hear a lot of screaming and clapping, and yet you cannot see anyone's hands moving. However at the end we see a very similar shot, with clapping again and you can see they are doing it this time. Clearly someone forgot to tell the extras in the first shot so they put the sound on afterwards.

David Mercier

Continuity mistake: When they are filming the scene on the highway, where Slater is going backward with his car, Kit's driver has a gray shirt, but when we see them from the outside a few shots later, he has a black shirt.

Dr Wilson

Continuity mistake: In Kit's restaurant confrontation scene, Carol's wig is being put on. In this shot, we see Daisy's arms are both up at her sides, as if she's twiddling her fingers (or something similar). In the next shot, Daisy's arms are behind her back, her hands clenched.

redbaron2000

Continuity mistake: There is a scene where "cops" get out of the car to stop Eddie Murphy and the Afrim's face melts (?). The skinny cop appears out of the car then back in then out.

Plot hole: During the filming of one of the scenes, why is Slater shocked that Kit really has plutonium? Since he doesn't know that Kit is being filmed without his permission, he should have been expecting what he said.

Dr Wilson

Kit's Agent: This is a great script! Look, it's not Shakespeare, but it.
Kit: Hey, what did you just say?
Agent: I said, 'it's not Shakespeare'.
Kit: 'It's not Shake... ', 'It's not Shake... ' (to Freddy) Do you hear what he's doing?
Freddy: I know he's doing something, I just can't put my finger on it. Yeah, yeah, yeah... What's he doing?
Kit: Shakespeare, Freddy, Shakespeare.
Freddy: Shakespeare?
Kit: Shake a spear! Spearchucker! I'm a spearchucker now.

More quotes from Bowfinger

Trivia: The character of Daisy (played by Heather Graham) is a thinly veiled jab at actress Anne Heche. Like Daisy, Anne is from Ohio, and, also like Daisy, Anne was briefly romantically involved with Steve Martin. Daisy's last lines about being involved with "the most powerful lesbian in Hollywood" are a reference to Anne's relationship at the time with Ellen DeGeneres.

More trivia for Bowfinger

Answer: It's done with CGI. Such freeway scenes are impossible to do with stunt drivers as you would need very complicated choreography to make it look believable.

lionhead

More questions & answers from Bowfinger

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