Bowfinger, the 1999 comedy written by Steve Martin and directed by Frank Oz, has come to be seen as an under-appreciated gem in Eddie Murphy's patchy late-1990s filmography. Murphy has praised the film for requiring little improvisation, noting that Martin's script was strong enough to follow almost word for word, a rarity for an actor known for riffing heavily on set.

The film cast Martin as a struggling director trying to make a movie without his uncooperative star realising he's in it, with Murphy playing a dual role including the actor's awkward younger brother. It earned largely positive reviews and took just under $100 million globally, a modest but solid return. Murphy took the part partly out of admiration for Martin, one of the comedians he studied growing up in New York alongside Richard Pryor and Robin Williams, though the project didn't mark a lasting creative turnaround: Life and The Nutty Professor II followed soon after with much weaker results, before Murphy found fresh success voicing Donkey in Shrek from 2001.