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Be Cool

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Be Cool (2005)

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Reviews Counted:5

Fresh:1

Rotten:4

Average Rating:4.3/10

Consensus: Be Cool is tepid, square, and lukewarm; as a parody of the music business, it has two left feet.

Runtime: 2 hrs

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: In this sequel to the 1995 mobster comedy GET SHORTY, John Travolta returns as Chili Palmer, a smooth-talking loanshark turned successful movie producer. But he's tired of the film industry, and so... In this sequel to the 1995 mobster comedy GET SHORTY, John Travolta returns as Chili Palmer, a smooth-talking loanshark turned successful movie producer. But he's tired of the film industry, and so he sets his sights on the music business, teaming up with music producer Edie (Uma Thurman)--the widow of a recently murdered colleague. Seeing great potential in an up-and-coming singer named Linda Moon (Christina Milian), Chili makes it his goal to rescue the young talent from her sleazy manager Raji (Vince Vaughn), and make her a star. But it doesn't take long for Chili to realize that in the music industry, not everybody plays by the rules. Combining organized crime and record label know-how as they infiltrate the music industry, Chili and Edie (Thurman) must free Moon from her contract with Raji and record label exec Nick Carr (Harvey Keitel), while fending off the Russian mafia and a whole slew of enemies, played by Cedric the Entertainer, and Andre Benjamin (of OutKast), among others. Director F. Gary Gray casts The Rock against type as Raji's flamboyant, aspiring-actor bodyguard, Elliot. In fact, the film's most humorous scene might be when Elliot breaks into Edie's home in order to show Chili a monologue from the film BRING IT ON. Overall, the film's tone is a self-referential one, established in the first five minutes by Chili's complaints over the nature of sequels and the PG-13 rating system itself. From here on out, the film's humor becomes more and more dependent on the audiences knowledge of all things pop culture, with a dance scene between Travolta and Thurman recalling their memorable pairing in PULP FICTION. [More]

Starring: Vince Vaughn, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Cedric the Entertainer

Starring: Vince Vaughn, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Cedric the Entertainer, Steven Tyler, Christina Milian, Harvey Keitel, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Danny DeVito, Robert Pastorelli, Paul Adelstein, James Woods, André Benjamin

Director: F. Gary Gray

Director: F. Gary Gray
Screenwriter: Peter Steinfeld
Producer: Danny DeVito, Stacey Sher, Michael Shamberg, David A. Nicksay
Composer: John Powell
Studio: MGM/UA

[See More Credits]

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  • Be Cool Clip: The Dance
    >
    Be Cool Clip: Play My Records
    >
    Be Cool Clip: Twinkle Twinkle Baby
    >
    "Chili and the Cops"
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  • Be Cool Trailer
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1 - 4 of 5

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Reviews for Be Cool

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1 - 5 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
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Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
03/29/05
BBC
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One character after another, one scene after another, one cute line of dialogue after another, refers to another movie, a similar character, a contrasting image, or whatever. The movie is like a bureaucrat who keeps sending you to another office.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
03/04/05
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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The picture is a bust, a grimly unfunny comedy with no connection to reality, and worst of all, running on and on for two dismal hours.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
03/03/05
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
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John Travolta returns as the reformed mobster he played in Get Shorty. But while Get Shorty rode the Pulp Fiction craze with finesse, Be Cool is running on empty.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
03/03/05
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
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Be Cool is not really cool as Get Shorty was, but it's entertaining, a frivolous cocktail rather than a vintage wine.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
02/26/05
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
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1 - 5 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Be Cool

June 26, 2007: Travolta On the Fence About "Wild Hogs 2"
Everyone was shocked when "Wild Hogs" became one of the biggest hits of all four stars' careers. It made so much money that it seems like they'd have to make... More...

March 05, 2007: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Audiences Ride with Wild Hogs at #1
Moviegoers rallied behind the star-driven comedy "Wild Hogs," which raced to number one at the North American box office, zooming past all expectations from Disney.... More...

March 01, 2007: Box Office Guru Preview: "Wild Hogs" Aims to Run Over "Ghost Rider"
One super hero on a motorcycle looks to get replaced by four middle-aged bikers at the number one spot at the North American box office this weekend. More...

September 18, 2006: Box Office Wrapup: Gridiron Gang #1, but Box Office Still Fumbles
Wrestler-turned-actor The Rock suffered the worst opening of his career with the football drama Gridiron Gang, but thanks to weak competition, it was still enough to capture the... More...

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