1999, 1 hr 36 min., Rated PG-13 for sex-related material and language. Dir: Frank Oz. Cast: Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Heather Graham, Christine Baranski, Terence Stamp, Robert Downey, Jr.

I was sure what to expect from Bowfinger: I would laugh. The cast is almost unbeatable, starring two of the business's best comedic actors: Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy. Right there you'd say that it can't miss, and for the most part it does hit on the mark.

Secondly it parodies Hollywood. Another easy target. And it works there as well.

So based on these two observations I'd say go see Bowfinger. I know, you're expecting a huge "But," which ain't coming. I did enjoy the film, although I'm not terribly enthusiastic that everyone go see it.

"Ah, ha!" you yell, certain I'm going to rip some aspect of the film apart.

Sorry, but it's not going to happen. Just because I didn't run through the mall shaking people while telling them they have to see Bowfinger doesn't mean it wasn't good. It was funny, just not life-alterting comedy.

I think we should move on now.

Eddie Murphy, as in The Nutty Professor, plays multiple roles in Bowfinger as superstar actor Kit Ramsey and the nerdy Jiff. Eddie is, and always will be, funny.

I don't care if critics say movies like Holy Man shows that his name is no longer a box office guarantee. Well, no movie star has that anymore (Cruise and Kidman's name recognition and the prospect of them being naked are the only reasons Eyes Wide Shut made more than $20 million), which makes these stars pick good scripts. Murphy had a hit last summer with the charming Doctor Doolittle and this spring's Life, co-starring Martin Lawrence.

With Bowfinger, Murphy proves he can churn out humor and please the audience with his infectious laughter. And, unlike black comedians like Chris Rock, he can spew racial jokes that are funny without sounding bitter.

Steve Martin, for me, was an acquired taste. Throughout my youth I did not take a liking to his comedic style. The old "Saturday Night Live" shows were not humorous, most likely because they were dated, but it still forced Martin to prove himself. That began with The Three Amigos and Roxanne, followed a few years later by Father of the Bride and L.A. Story in 1991.

Then last year I saw Martin's talents outside what I felt were strict comedic boundaries, in the indie gem The Spanish Prisoner. Martin overshadowed the hero of the film, trusting his on screen presence to affect the plot instead of witty banter that wouldn't have fit with the picture.

Why don't we see more of Terence Stamp? He commandeers the screen and projects authority, which is probably why he seems to be a leader of some sort in every film. His small roles are always winners, whether it be as General Zod in Superman, Chancellor Vallorum in Star Wars Episode One or in Bowfinger as Murphy's adviser from Mind Head.

Which brings me off the subject of the film, but here's one reason I dislike attending movies with a large audience: people who point things out to everyone...loudly. When Mind Head first popped up, everyone knew what it parodied, but some guy felt the need to sound intelligent by practically yelling at his friend one seat and four inches over, "That's supposed to be Scientology" while guffawing. This same guy burst out laughing so many times I missed more than a few lines of the film. Not that it was just a laugh, but a deep and loud one, the kind you hear in every sitcom where one audience member drowns out the rest, even in scenes that aren't especially funny.

Besides Stamp, the rest of the supporting cast isn't bad, but they are only riding the coattails of the stars anyway. Even Joe Buttafuco and John Bobbitt could've shared screen time with Murphy and Martin, and this still would have been a very funny film.

Okay, I said before that I wouldn't say anything bad about Bowfinger, BUT I have one complaint: The previews provided too many of the jokes in the movie, which always takes something from the finished product. I have laughed at the scenes during advertisements, so when it happens on the big screen it isn't funny anymore. I'm alwasy surprised when a large audience laughs so loud at a joke that has been played to death in the previews for three months. Even worse, though, the Bowfinger previews give away some of the finale, which is a no-no every time.

BUT (a good one), if that's all I have to genuinely complain about, then I can live with it.

The verdict: -- A Hollywood parody is hard to miss, and Bowfinger has good aim with Murphy and Martin.