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	Be Cool
	F. Gary Gray John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Vince Vaughn, Cedric the Entertainer, Harvey Keitel, The Rock, André Benjamin, Christina Milian, Robert Pastorelli, Steven Tyler, Danny DeVito, James Woods 2005		As a follow-up to the cunning, funny (and casually violent) Hollywood satire "Get Shorty," "Be Cool" is a major disappointment. It would come off even worse if it were taken on its own terms, rather than basking in the glow of "Get Shorty." Both films are based on novels by the great crime-fiction author Elmore Leonard; both films star a slick John Travolta as unflappable, resourceful loan shark Chili Palmer; both films feature Chili's adventures in the seamier quarters of the L.A. entertainment scene. But that's where the comparisons end. "Get Shorty" lampooned the movie business with wit and verve; it had the benefit of Barry Sonnenfeld's jaunty direction and memorable character comedy from Danny DeVito and Dennis Farina. "Be Cool," on the other hand, is a tired, uninventive stumble through Chili's assault on the music industry. Even with Uma Thurman as a comely record-company exec (reuniting her with her "Pulp Fiction" dance partner Travolta), Harvey Keitel as a thuggish agent, Vince Vaughn as a white wannabe gangsta-pimp, The Rock as a gay bodyguard with dreams of stardom, and Cedric the Entertainer as a hip-hop producer with armed posse, it's bargain-bin-bound. Maybe the effortless, limber "Get Shorty" intimidated director F. Gary Gray ("A Man Apart," "The Italian Job"), because "Be Cool" wastes charismatic actors on what seems like a read-through, with musical filler and gratuitous cameos.


	Wednesday, December 18, 2024





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