A freewheeling comedy-thriller with the gift of the gab.
Get Shorty (1995)
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Synopsis: This slick adaptation of Elmore Leonard's 1990 novel features John Travolta as Chili Palmer, a Miami loan shark who's been sent to L.A. to collect on a bad debt from trash movie producer Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), the maker of the stunning flops "Grotesque" and "Slime People." But this is... This slick adaptation of Elmore Leonard's 1990 novel features John Travolta as Chili Palmer, a Miami loan shark who's been sent to L.A. to collect on a bad debt from trash movie producer Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), the maker of the stunning flops "Grotesque" and "Slime People." But this is Harry's lucky day, because Chili is also a film buff, and when he's done talking tough he starts pitching Harry a script idea. As everyone knows, the best background for the motion picture industry is the criminal underworld, and Chili is smoothly launched into the life of a producer: romancing a B-movie scream queen, schmoozing superstars, getting reservations in the hottest restaurants in town. However, Chili's not the only mobster wanting to turn producer. It seems that a thug named Bo Catlett (Delroy Lindo), another of Harry's lenders, also wants a piece of the action. Add in a group of angry drug smugglers and there is an abundance of double- and triple-crosses, as well as plenty of wisecracks and Hollywood insider jokes. GET SHORTY crosses the line of life imitating art--and vice versa--many times, including the real Ernest "Chili" Palmer (on whom the character is based) playing a Mafia henchman. Barry Sonnenfeld's entertaining romp is a wild look at the celebrity life in Hollywood, featuring numerous cameos of stars playing themselves. [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: John Travolta, Rene Russo, Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo
DVD Info
Release:
Oct 2, 2006
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- 2-Disc Set
- Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
- 5.1 Dolby Surround - English
- 5.1 Surround - French
- Stereo Surround - Spanish
- Subtitles - English - Optional
- Subtitles - French - Optional
- Subtitles - Spanish - Optional
Additional Release Material:
- Outtakes - 1.DANNY'S NO-CUT DAY
- Audio Commentary - 1. Barry Sonnenfeld - Director, Producer
- Behind-the-Scenes Footage - 1. GET SHORTY Party Reel
- Featurette - 1. GET SHORTY: LOOK AT ME
- 2. GET SHORTY: WISEGUYS AND DOLLS
- 3. DELETED GRAVEYARD SCENES
- 4: PAGE TO SCREEN OF GET SHORTY Bravo Special
- Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer
- 2. Bonus Trailer - BE COOL
Text/Photo Galleries:
- Photo Gallery
Reviews
An award winning film that is thoroughly entertaining, one that you can watch again, and again, and ….
Hollywood has been in love with mobsters since the beginning of movies. But the other side of the equation has seldom been considered. That is, until now.
This Hollywood is the one we want to believe exists: no film school snots here, no MBA's, no dock-worker philosophers-turned-screenwriters. Just a town full of second-rate swindlers where a clear-eyed racketeer can keep his eye on the ball and rise.
A drolly offbeat look at Hollywood mores dedicated to the proposition that the best preparation for becoming a film producer is a stint in the criminal underworld.
An entertaining comedy-thriller adapted by Scott Frank from the Elmore Leonard best-seller and directed with bounce (if not much nuance) by Barry Sonnenfeld.
Sonnenfeld keeps all of this under two hours by cutting the movie at a dazzling clip.
...it seems clear that Get Shorty will appeal mostly to those familiar with the source material - as it has to be more coherent and fleshed out than this.
It's not an official masterpiece, but like Casablanca, it's a virtually flawless product of the Hollywood machine.
Released in the shadow of Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty — for all its acclaim — has never received its due as one of the funniest Hollywood films of modern times.
Has more than a few nasty quips directed at Hollywood and the vacuous, egotistical people who populate it.
I really never got into this. It's slow, some industry jokes are funny, but mostly really slow. Rene Russo looks great thoughh.
It's part of the joke here that Chili is a die-hard cineaste and loves reminiscing about smart, stylish tough-guy films he has enjoyed. Get Shorty belongs on that list.
News
posted by Scott Weinberg March 08, 2006
Carla Gugino, Matthew Goode, and Isla Fisher have signed on to co-star with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Scott Frank's...
posted by Scott Weinberg December 08, 2005
Well-admired character actor Jeff Daniels will star in a thriller entitled "The Lookout" for Disney and...
posted by Scott Weinberg September 01, 2005
Diane Lane, Thomas Jane, and Mickey Rourke have been tapped by the Weinstein brothers to star in...
posted by Senh Duong March 03, 2005
You know what they say – sequels are rarely better than the originals. “Be Cool,” the sequel to 1995’s “Get Shorty,”...


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