Be Cool
Released: 1st April 2005
Starring: John Travolta; Uma Thurman
I remember seeing trailers for Be Cool in 2005 and thinking it looked like a Tarantino flick with a bit of Hollywood polish - quirky characters, slick dialogue, and a big fat injection of cool. Instead, what we got was a who’s-who of pop culture and very little actual content.
This sequel to Get Shorty follows Chili Palmer (Travolta), a former loan-shark turned movie-producer, as he attempts to break the music industry after being forced to make a lame sequel (oh the irony). Christina Milian is hot but predictable as Linda Moon, an up-and-coming singer, and Uma Thurman is likeable as Travolta’s love interest, but Pulp Fiction this is not. Instead, we’re treated to just under two hours of cameos, ‘cool’ music and a story that doesn’t go anywhere.
There were admittedly some funny moments and some snippets of great writing (Steven Tyler: “I’m not one of those singers who appear in movies. I made it this far without doing it.“) and at times Be Cool even manages to be clever, but for the most part you’re left wondering what could have been. With some of the biggest names in Hollywood at the time (Vince Vaughn, Harvey Keitel, The Rock, Cedric The Entertainer, OutKast’s Andre3000) and an expensive soundtrack (Aerosmith, Christina Milian, and a boring scene with Black Eyed Peas to name a few) it seems like the writers didn’t quite put in 100%, knowing that the cast alone would draw a crowd.
The cinematography is impressive throughout, with some really great shots and references to both Get Shorty and other flicks, and at times the choice of music is genius (especially when The Rock - playing a gay bodyguard - is trying out his new suit) but it still fails to distract from some of the grating characters. While some of the characters have fun relationships (Chili and Dabu are especially funny together), most of the cast are basically there as Chili’s comic releif. Raji (Vaughn) is especially irritating, and whoever wrote his lines should be peeled with KFC sporks.
In all, a watchable film chock full of celebrities and black-American comedy but don’t go rent it expecting to get the next cult classic.
Rating: 5 Beans out of 10
Tags: Comedy
