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Movies / On DVD / Be Cool
Be Cool

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Be Cool (2005)

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Reviews Counted:165

Fresh:48

Rotten:117

Average Rating:4.6/10

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 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Thurman looks desperately uncomfortable throughout the entire film, Keitel fails to make any real impact and the less said about Vince Vaughn's desperate mugging as a wannabe gangsta, the better.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
04/02/05
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
03/29/05
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Here's hoping the cast of Be Cool can pick up their careers after the release of this film.

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
03/27/05
Joe Utichi
Joe Utichi
FilmFocus

A silly fantasy that goes for broad strokes where a more finely tuned satire might have actually hit a nerve.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
03/03/05
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Self-mocking jokes prevail in F. Gary Gray's feisty cinematic version of Elmore Leonard's irreverent Los Angeles based novel.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
04/18/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

click to read review [Greek]

Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | comment Comment
09/10/06
Joseph Proimakis
Joseph Proimakis
Movies for the Masses
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
05/12/06
Ken Tucker
Ken Tucker
New York Magazine

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
AV Club
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
07/05/05
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The characters are still engaging, but the story is a mess this time around.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
06/08/05
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

Nothing here feels authentic--not the occasionally funny thugs or the supposed ‘street cred’ vibe that hits like a thud.

Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | comment Comment
06/07/05
Bruce Bennett
Bruce Bennett
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
05/13/05
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Less like a story than an assemblage of moments and top-notch character acting, but as far as cinematic trifles go, it's guilt-free.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
05/10/05
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

There's some fun to be had here, but measured against Get Shorty, the movie doesn't fare so well.

Full Review Source: Lowell Sun | comment Comment
05/06/05
Austin O'Connor
Austin O'Connor
Lowell Sun

The whole film is a great piece of eye candy with many LA sites and a lot of music and action.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Spectrum | comment Comment
04/14/05
Vince Koehler
Vince Koehler
Entertainment Spectrum
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
all

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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