by Miguel Mike Medina
Get Shorty
Get Shorty is a 1995 Comedy/Crime movie that features a very well solid cast. Starring John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, and James Gandolfini (before his breakout role in The Sopranos). The synopsis of the movie is about Chili Palmer (played by John Travolta), who is a loan shark and movie buff who comes to Hollywood with dreams of entering the film business. He learns that the business is more cutthroat than the mob world.
John Travolta is smooth and cool playing the character of Chili Palmer. I can’t see anyone else playing that character so eloquently like John Travolta. This role comes after his mesmerizing performance in Pulp Fiction. The script is brilliant and the cast does a fascinating job. The movie has some entertaining moments but I felt that it was more crime based than comedy.
In my review of this movie, I give Get Shorty a 4.3 out of 5 stars.
Be Cool
This movie is the sequel is Get Shorty. Be Cool was released ten years later. I remember going to the movie theaters to see this movie and I laughed in so many moments. It was a fun experience. Be Cool is loaded with talent. New additions to the cast feature Uma Thurman, reuniting with John Travolta since Pulp Fiction, Cedric The Entertainer, Andre 3000, Christina Milian, Vince Vaughn, Harvey Keitel, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and more.
Be Cool, in my opinion, is more funnier than Get Shorty. The script is not as strong as Get Shorty, but the level of entertainment and the cast make this a must-see movie and one of those movies where you can sit back and relax. The scenes with Andre 3000 and Cedric are outstanding. Both of them have impeccable comedic timing and chops. Christian Milian, with whom I always had a crush since Love Don’t Cost A Thing, does a solid job playing an aspiring singer who became a big star thanks to Chili Palmer.
In this movie, you see Chili Palmer make the transition from the movie business to the music business and teams up/falls for Uma Thurman. I feel that John’s performance in this movie is more clever and smoother than Get Shorty.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is hilarious. This is one of my favorite performances of his career. He steals every scene he’s in. You can’t teach or deny his Incredible charisma. I just gotta say one more thing about him: SCORCHING! If you had seen the movie, then you would know, haha.
My review for Be Cool is a 4.1 out of 5 stars.
