Customer Reviews

Be Cool [VHS]

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(35)
2 star:		(41)
1 star:		(41)

 

 

When I told friends that I would be attending a sneak preview of the sequel to GET SHORTY, every single one said the same thing (in more or less these words): "Was there really any demand for a sequel?" They had a point, since I must confess that although I remember more or less enjoying GET SHORTY, I can not remember a single thing that happened in the original. I remember it starred John Travolta, Danny DeVito, and Delroy Lindo, but not much else. Having said that, I must admit that I enjoyed BE COOL. It is not a masterpiece, and very likely I won't remember much of it a few months after having seen it, but for the hundred or so minutes that I watched it I found myself laughing much of the time, and all in all having a good time.

Basically, BE COOL sets out to be an enjoyable light comedy, and it succeeds. It features a large and largely excellent cast having a pretty good time. The only real returning cast member from GET SHORTY is John Travolta (though Danny DeVito has a few cameos) as Chilli Palmer, former shylock turned movie producer, and who now wants to get into the music business after having become disenchanted with the movies. He gets his opportunity when a friend (played briefly by James Woods) tells him about a great young musical talent he wants to get into the movies, and who on Woods's death becomes his charge. Well, more or less, for much of the movie revolves around who is going to be Linda Moon's (played appealing by Christina Milian) manager. There are additional plot elements involving Russian gangster, the efforts of the Ivy League educated manager of a gangster rap group (played by Cedric the Entertainer) to get the three hundred thousand dollars that Woods owed him, and other odds and ends, the kind of details that tend to fade in the mind after having seen it.

I don't want to pretend that this is anything other than light-handed fun. It is one of those films that is fairly predictable even if you can't predict what is going to happen. But I did find it fun. Vince Vaughan was good for some laughs as a black talking/acting music manager, but I enjoyed even more The Rock, playing his body guard. I had more or less dismissed The Rock as someone who could ever interest me for more than a nanosecond, based on the utterly dreadful string of previous roles he had undertaken, but I loved how he played against type in this one, showing more of a sense of humor than one might have anticipated. Though a body guard, he is a gay who will pulverize anyone who calls attention to his sexuality, and is pretty funny in a music video where he performs the Dolly Parton classic "You Aren't Woman Enough to Take My Man" and in a scene where he briefly auditions by performing two female roles from the cheerleader pic BRING IT ON. Mind you, he isn't one of the world's great comedians, but unlike his action films, he was actually fun and his character interesting. He was, by the way, almost unrecognizable at first, because he actually had hair for a change. The rest of the cast is solid, though no one produces what could even remotely be considered their best work. John Travolta and Uma Thurman have a romance of sorts and even have a dance number together, but by and large they fail to reproduce the chemistry they had in PULP FICTION. I was pleased to see Debi Mazar get a small role, an actress I've always liked, but have never gotten to see in any good roles.

So, I can mildly recommend this if you are looking for a fairly funny flick and go to see it with minimal expectations. If you are looking for a truly great film, go see SIDEWAYS instead. I personally have always subscribed to the theory expounded by Harvard philosopher Stanley Cavell that you don't truly love the movies unless you like most movies. I like this one just fine, though I doubt if in six months I will be able to tell you a single thing that happened in it.

The title Be Cool is ironic because the film isn't as cool as Get Shorty. Be Cool, unlike Get Shorty, takes a while to get going. But when it does, Be Cool is a very funny movie. Being a much bigger film fan than a fan of the music scene, I got more of the jokes in Get Shorty. Still, it's a worthy sequel.

I do miss Rene Russo, Gene Hackman and Dennis Farina from the original. Russo is still sexy at 51. Hackman is one of the finest actors in film history, able to do comedy and drama equally well. And Farina always adds greatly to whatever project he's in. But Uma Thurman, Cedric the Entertainer and Harvey Keitel do an admirable job in essentially the same roles (Thurman's first scene, in a skimpy bikini, is sure to arouse any man with a pulse). Vince Vaughn is pretty funny as a white guy who thinks he's black although the routine gets tired by the end of the movie. And the late Robert Pastorelli, in his last role, is as funny as usual as a mob hitman who makes eating cole slaw one of the most nauseating experiences imaginable.

However, The Rock steals the show from just about everyone as Vaughn's musclebound gay bodyguard. I didn't like The Scorpion King at all and wondered what all the hype regarding The Rock was about. After seeing Be Cool, I understand. The Rock hits all of the right notes in a role that is essentially self-satire, right down to the raised eyebrow. He creates a very likable character without becoming a buffoonish oaf. In fact, a couple of the biggest laughs in the film are The Rock's towards the end of the film.

But of course, the film succeeds primarily because of John Travolta's ultra-cool reprise of Chilli Palmer. Played by a lesser actor, Palmer could come off as cocky and arrogant and immediately lose the audience's sympathy. However Travolta, as he did in Get Shorty, finds just the right tone to project Palmer confidence without sliding into arrogance. My only complaint is that Travolta is still smoking -- something you definitely don't need to do to be cool.

Hopefully, in the next film, Chilli Palmer will take on the television industry. Reality shows alone will provide enough comic material to carry a movie.

John Travolta reprises his role as Chilli Palmer in this sequel to his 1995 film Get Shorty. In this go-around, Palmer tackles the tumultuous arena of the music industry.

The movie opens with Tommy Athens played by James Woods , Music Mogul, trying to negotiate an autobiographical movie deal with Palmer (Travolta). While trying to explain the seedy underworld dealings of the music industry, Athens is gunned down by a very unprofessional Russian "insurance" hit-man in Palmer's presence. Palmer, tiring from the movie industry and eager to venture into another field of work, quickly seizes the opportunity to jump into the music industry; and therefore, fills the void left vacated by Athens' demise. This, in turn, reunites Palmer (Travolta) with Pulp Fiction co-star Uma Thurman, who plays Edie Athens, Tommy's wife and partner.

Palmer immediately stumbles upon singing sensation Linda Moon played by Christina Milian; however, she is already under contact and managed by wannabe pimp Vince Vaughn. And thus the story begins.....

Much like the previous film, the cavalcade of stars in this film is endless: Cedric the Entertainer, Harvey Keitel, Steven Tyler, Danny DeVito, and even The Rock, who portrays a gay bodyguard to Raji (Vaugh).

If you liked Get Shorty, then you'll probably like this film as well. I found it mildly amusing at most.

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John Travolta, Vince Vaughn, Uma Thurman, Cedric the Entertainer, Danny DeVito, and The Rock are just a few of the stars in this comedy sequel to Get Shorty. This time, gangster Chili Palmer leaves the movie business for the music industry where he ends up promoting a struggling singer, pursued by the Russian mafia. Uma Thurman and John Travolta's last collaboration (Pulp Fiction) was a great success. Add music, singing, dancing, gangster, and over-the-top performances from Vince Vaughn and The Rock, then you have a movie that is filled with entertainment, action, and comedy. With this cast and the right amount of silliness, not too much as in Get Shorty, this might be the blockbuster of the week. With a cast of action star heavies like Travolta, Thurman, Vaughn, and The Rock, we have a good bet that there will be more action with a good sense of humor.

The movie was kind of funny. Some parts of it were enjoyable. Christina Milian was hot. Nothing else good to say unfortunately. The story of the movie sucked, and got boring after about twenty minutes. The acting was only so-so and there was nothing really special about the movie. If it wasn't for the fact that this movie tried to split itlself between a serious flick and another comedy it may have been better. But when you mix the stupidity of most comedies with some serious aspects you get a sub-par film like this one.

I, having seen the movie Get Shorty and having loved it, was excited about this movie. That was until I saw the lame previews. The Rock didn't look funny nor did Vince vaughn but I decided to give it a shot. I was right. It was a major letdown with some good laughs but the movie seemed boring, stupid, and just weird at times. The Rock playing a gay bodyguard wasn't funny, Vince Vaughn acting black wasn't funny, and the rest of the cast wasn't that good either. The movie has an all star cast with over 10 actors I'm very familiar with. That's weird but cool. But, it just wasn't funny. The plot is about Chili Palmer who leaves the Movie business for the Music business. He then finds a good prospect in a young singer. The movie has some good laughs but mostly nothing. If you want to laugh, watch get shorty and not this. Believe me, it's not funny.

Be Cool has been getting some terrible reviews, but it isn't really that bad. Yes - the move has some problems - it's about 30 minutes to long, it steadily loses focus towards the end, and some of the plot resolutions are not as imaginative as they could be - but in general, Be Cool offers some good laughs and is by and large an entertaining mish-mash of ridiculous and outrageous fun.

Viewers don't need to have seen the first movie Get Shorty to appreciate Be Cool. This movie more than readily stands on its own, and continues the story of Shylock Chili Palmer (John Travolta) and his efforts to become an influential force in the music business. The movie begins with his best mate Tommy Athens (James Woods) getting violently gunned down by a helmet-headed Russian mafia hit man with a bad toupee. Tommy and his gorgeous wife Edie (Uma Thurman) ran NTL, a previously successful record label that has secretly been floundering. They have desperately needed a hit player.

Chili visits Edie who is sun baking on the porch of a glamorous house, high in the Hollywood Hills. Chili tells her about Linda Moon (Christina Milian), a young singer who wants to be break into the industry. She's talented and gifted, but Linda is presently under contract with Raji (Vince Vaughn) and Nick Carr (Harvey Keitel) of Car-o-Sell Records. Edie who obviously has a soft spot for Chili is more than willing to allow him adopt the role of music manager and court Linda. Edie also lets him protect her from the various scoundrels harassing her for Tommy's debts.

Tommy died owing Sin LaSalle (Cedric the Entertainer) about $300,000, and now Sin is harassing Edie for the money. Sin, a wealthy and prosperous music manager, travels around Los Angeles in a collection of oversized Hummers threatening people with a posse of silver gun slinging rap stars called Dub MDs (including Andre Benjamin). Chili in an effort to "be cool" tries to play off the various sides and come out on top; he also wants to escape from the clutches of Raji. Raji, in turn, works with muscleman Elliot Wilhelm (a riotous The Rock). Elliot is a gay actor who Chili keeps pacifying with the promises of an audition.

The story keeps pummeling along as each party tries to outwit and double-cross each other, but amongst all this Chili stays unruffled using his amazing powers of persuasion and influence to get his way. He confronts black gangland rap killers, a collection of mafia-like Russians who run a hockshop that masquerades for the headquarters of their criminal enterprise, while also managing to charm Steven Tyler (who looks strangely like Joan Rivers) from the rock band Aerosmith.

It's obvious that Be Cool is a satire on the Los Angles music industry, and it generally succeeds. But most viewers will have had enough by the end of two hours and this viewer was thankful that it ended when it did. Travolta, Thurman, and The Rock are the main reasons to see this movie. They give the strongest performances, with the whimsical flirtation between Chili and Edie sustaining a good part of the picture. Their cute, innocent, and sexy dance together proves that they are the ones who own the movie. The Rock is also terrific as Elliot, proving once again that he is a man of many talents.

Be Cool is entertaining enough and there are certainly some good chuckles and outright laughs along the way; there's also some good shots of Los Angeles, especially along Sunset Blvd and some nice aerial shots from high on the Hollywood Hills; but all too often the movie seems to go astray, wandering in search of the next funny moment or the next over-the-top scenario. Mike Leonard March 05.

The problem with this film is I read the book. I was disappointed simply because `Be Cool' is an obvious showcase for the musical talent. The overly long dance sequence with John Travolta and Uma Thurman is a prime example. Somewhere the bulk of the story was lost--and there are some very--very good characters appearing in the film that would've been more intersing if somebody would've said, "HEY, don't forget the book!" But being true to the original source is not Hollywood's strong suit. "Be Cool" provides some popular music, some known faces, but without John Travolta, the movie would never have been made.

A few laughs are provided. A couple ironic scenes show up, but there's too little to sustain a full-length feature. Basically, the project is a disservice to everyone involved. Some of the characters are so thin--face it--poor Christina Milian as Linda Moon, is reduced to being a voice that sways when she sings--a cliché. The Rock does the best he can but again, `He's a gay bodyguard;' he's the brunt of insulting jokes offered up by a Raji, his boss [Vince Vaughn], who, in the book, is far more sinister--but in the film he's an idiot.

Of course Chili is Chili. Travolta does a very nice job, and Chili's obviously the smartest guy in the room. Uma Thruman's performance is, well, not funny--not serious, not intense--not much-- at best, she made me shrug. I do like what Harvey Keitel did with Nick Carr, but there's just not enough, and all the negatives reflect completely on the director. Enough said there.

My advice, watch `Get Shorty'again, or read `Be Cool.'

You can tell within the first two minutes that Be Cool isn't going to come close to living up to 1995's Get Shorty, which actually embodied the titular sentiment of this limp sequel. Director Gray and screenwriter Paul Steinfeld waste no time in winking at us, joking about how lame sequels are, and stupid compromises made to get a PG-13 rating. But instead of getting us to laugh, it only shows how desperate they are to please.

The plot has Travolta's hustler-turned-movie-producer Chili Palmer getting out of movies and into music when he discovers a talented young singer (Milian), teaming up with Edie (Thurman), a record executive's widow. Chili is beset by a colorful cast of lowlifes: Cedric the Entertainer and the Rock make the most of their roles, but Vince Vaughn is unbelievably grating as the white-guy-who-thinks-he's-black.

While Get Shorty had no trouble selling Chili's love of movies, his love of music comes across as contrived, designed only to pimp the acts (Aerosmith, Black Eyed Peas) who've been paid to show up. Memorable lines from Get Shorty are recycled ad nauseam, and Travolta and Thurman dance and try to re-create Pulp Fiction's magic. There are one or two funny lines and enough stars to guarantee everyone at least a moment of pleasure. But a moment is all you're likely to get.

i've never viewed a film in my life that had so much on screen talent with no place to go. the magic that these actors have been known to make is invisable in this morass. don't waste your time even when it shows up on HBO or late night viewing.