Be Cool

March 6, 2005

Rated: PG-13 Runtime: 114 min Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Be Cool is the sequel to 1995’s Get Shorty. John Travolta is back as Chili Palmer. And the first cool thing about this movie is that it knows that it is a movie in a very tongue in cheek kind of way. Furthermore, it knows that sequels usually suck.

Be Cool The story is a total retread of Get Shorty. The big difference is now Chili has made it in the movie business and wants to get into the music business instead. Travolta is surrounded by an all star cast, but the storyline this time feels like it exists only to lace together a series of skits. The best word I can think of to describe the overall feel of the movie is “disjointed”.

This does not mean that the film totally sucks though. Based on the power of the cast, it is “cool”. And there are some true laugh out loud moments. Travolta is cool as ever as Chili. But consider the rest of the cast this time out. First off, he’s reunited with Uma Thurman and Harvey Keitel from Pulp Fiction including a dance that gives a nod to both Pulp and Saturday Night Fever. And is there anyone on the planet who can play a character who makes you want to smack the taste of their mouth more than Vince Vaughn? His character in this one is a classic which I wont spoil. Then there’s The Rock as a gay body guard. And let us not forget the scene stealing Cedric the Entertainer and his hip hop gangsta rappers.

If you like the cast, we think you’ll like the movie. We fully expect the critics to trash it. However, we laughed out loud many times and had fun watching the cast of the movie do their thing. We give it 4 stars, barely. You’ll wanna see the movie, and you’ll enjoy it more with a crowd.

Posted by Billy Bob | Filed Under 4 Stars, Comedy, Harvey Keitel, John Travolta, PG-13, The Rock, Theatrical, Uma Thurman, Vince Vaughn