Be Cool (2005)

Everyone is looking for the next big hit

Original Title :	Be Cool
Director :	F. Gary Gray
Writer :	Elmore Leonard Peter Steinfeld (II)
Genre :	Comedy
	Crime/Music
Country :	USA
Language :	English
Producer :	Danny DeVito , Andy Gose , F. Gary Gray , Elmore Leonard , David Nicksay , Michael Shamberg (I) , Stacey Sher , Michael Siegel (II)
Music :	John Powell (I)
Photography :	Jeffrey L. Kimball
Distributor :	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) [us]
MPAA Rating :	Rated PG-13
IMDB ID :	0377471
Official site :	http://www.becoolmovie.com
	Search Subtitles on opensubtitles.org

poster for "Be Cool" by F. Gary Gray (2005)

Be Cool (2005) - F. Gary Gray

Starring

John Travolta		Chili Palmer
Uma Thurman		Edie Athens
Vince Vaughn		Raji
Cedric the Entertainer		Sin LaSalle
André 3000		Dabu (as André Benjamin
Steven Tyler		I
Robert Pastorelli		Joe Loop
Christina Milian		Linda Moon
Paul Adelstein		Hy Gordon
Debi Mazar		Marla
Gregory Alan Williams		Darryl (as GregAlan Williams
Harvey Keitel		Nick Carr
The Rock		Elliot Wilhelm
Danny DeVito		Martin Weir
James Woods		I
Wyclef Jean		Himself
Fred Durst		Himself
Sergio Mendes		Himself
Gene Simmons		I
RZA		Himself (as The RZA
Joe Perry		I
Anna Nicole Smith		Herself
Anthony J. Ribustello		Fast Freddie
Steve Maye		Steve
Alex Kubik		Roman Bulkin
Darren Carter		Glenn
Carol Duboc		Pumpkin
Minae Noji		Miss Bangkok
Arielle Kebbel		Robin
Kimberly J. Brown		Tiffany
Jordan Moseley		Deshawn
Margaret Travolta		Marge
Scott Adsit		Program Director
Brian Christensen		Hairy Russian
Nick Loren		Assistant Director
Craig Susser		Assistant Director
George Fisher		III
Frank Lloyd		II
Sahar Simmons		Sin LaSalle's Wife
Serdar Kalsin		Bearded Russian
Frank Nyi		Coroner (as Dr. Frank Nyi
Noelle Scaggs		Backup Singer
Joyce Tolbert		Backup Singer
Tom Hamilton		II
Brad Whitford		Aerosmith
Joey Kramer		Aerosmith
Russ Irwin		Aerosmith Keyboardist
Will i Am		The Black Eyed Peas
Stacy Ferguson		The Black Eyed Peas (as Fergie
Apl.de.Ap		The Black Eyed Peas
Taboo		II
Steve Lucky		Rhumba Bums
Carmen Getit		Rhumba Bums
Chris Lewis		VII
Daryl Jones		Dub MDs
Alex-Andre Watkins		Dub MDs
Floyd Tremmel		Dub MDs
Quincy Taylor		Dub MDs
Will Harris		Dub MDs
Kimberly Wyatt		Pussycat Dolls
Kasey Campbell		Pussycat Dolls
Ashley Roberts		Pussycat Dolls
Nicole Scherzinger		Pussycat Dolls
Leon C. Carswell		Music Video Dancer
Jovan Clayton		Music Video Dancer
Corinthea Henderson		Music Video Dancer
Micah Jenkins		Music Video Dancer
Donyelle Jones Denise		Music Video Dancer
Clifford McGee		Music Video Dancer (as Clifford McGhee
Rashad Miles		Music Video Dancer
Oscar Orosco		Music Video Dancer
Quinette Price		Music Video Dancer
Jerry 'Flo' Randolph		Music Video Dancer (as Jerry Randolph
Shellee Samuels		Music Video Dancer
Roel Suasin		Music Video Dancer
Christopher Toler		Music Video Dancer
Ceasare Willis		Music Video Dancer
Shanell Woodgett		Music Video Dancer
Ivan 'Flipz' Velez		Music Video Dancer (as Ivan Velez
Lesa Maiava		Samoan Dancer
Mervyn Lilo		Samoan Dancer
Ryan Ashley		Swing Dancer
Shannon Beach		Swing Dancer
Karen Dyer		II
Alison Faulk		Swing Dancer
Annette Nicole		Swing Dancer (as Annette Nichole
Autum Perry		Swing Dancer
Christian Perry		Swing Dancer
Nathan Prevost		Swing Dancer
Gustavo Vargas		I
Vitaly Yasnogorodsky		Swing Dancer
Stephen Castello		Bartender (uncredited
Seth Green		Video Clip Director (uncredited
Tarita Virtue		Beautiful Woman (uncredited

Plot

In this sequel to "Get Shorty", Chili Palmer (John Travolta) is tired of the movie production business after being forced to make a useless sequel starring Martin Weir (Danny De Vito). When a music producer friend (James Woods) is gunned down, he offers to help his widow (Uma Thurman) run the business. Checking a talent (Christina Milian) that Woods had been talking to him about puts Chili at odds with a sleazy music manager (Vince Vaughn),his gay bodyguard (The Rock), and his equally sleazy partner (Harvey Keitel). Woods mismanagement of the music company also gets Chili threatened by members of the Russian mafia and a suburbian rap-mogul producer (Cedric The Entertainer) & his thugs led by his bumbling relative (Andre Benjamin). All turns out well when it is determined that Uma had at one time been the laundress for Aerosmith and making contact with Aerosmith leader Steven Tyler at a Lakers game, gets their protege a duet with Tyler at an Aerosmith concert. Robert Pastorelli also appears as a slobbish hitman, who bumbles an attack on Chili. Contains profanity (including the one gratuitous use of the f-word, which Chili cites in using it as the only use permissible without getting an R rating in movies), lots of gunplay and other violence, and mild sexual situations.

Comments

Get Shorty was an excellent film. It was funny and had the perfect balance of highly comical acting and a serious plot. Be Cool is like some cheap knock-off trying to pass for a sequel. John Travolta as Chili Palmer seems to have forgotten that he was ever in the mob. He plays it like he's a bored movie exec, rather than a bored movie exec who used to be a Shylock. Uma Thurman, great in nearly every role she's ever played, comes off as strained and confusing. Is she supposed to be ditzy or clever? The chemistry between her and Travolta is strained and uncomfortable. Other than that, just add every movie cliché you can think of. A well-educated rap producer by Cedric the Entertainer, an inept gangster wannabe in Andre 3000, the girl with heart, soul, and a good set of pipes in Christina Milian, a gimmicky black dude wannabe in Vince Vaughn, and a stupid celebrity cameo by Stephen Tyler. The only funny part was the Rock, who invents his own new cliché as a gay Samoan bodyguard actor wannabe. Probably the biggest crime is the plot: IT MAKES NO SENSE. Get Shorty was clever with Chili playing one group against another and coming out on top. But this film tries that with about a million different characters. And even Chili doesn't seem to know what's going on. Fans of Get Shorty be warned: this is a very different, very worse movie.