Be Cool
MGM / UA (2005)
Comedy, Crime, Music
In Collection
#510
6*
Seen It:  Yes
(6/13/2011)
027616928412
IMDB   5.6
120 mins USA/English
DVD  Region 1   PG-13
John Travolta Chili Palmer
Uma Thurman Edie Athens
Vince Vaughn Raji
Cedric the Entertainer Sin LaSalle
André Benjamin Dabu
Steven Tyler Himself
Robert Pastorelli Joe Loop
Christina Milian Linda Moon
Paul Adelstein Hy Gordon
Debi Mazar Marla
Gregory Alan Williams Darryl
Director F. Gary Gray
Producer Danny DeVito
David Nicksay
Michael Shamberg
Anson Downes
Linda Favila
Writer Elmore Leonard
Peter Steinfeld

Underworld hipster Chili Palmer is back in the entertainment business in this sequel to the 1995 hit Get Shorty, which like the first film is based on a novel by Elmore Leonard. Gangster-turned-movie producer Chili (once again played by John Travolta) has grown tired of the screen trade, especially after his latest project turned out to be a box-office flop. Chili is looking for new horizons and thinks he may have found his niche when his close friend Tommy Athens (James Woods), a fellow mobster who runs an independent record label, is murdered by Russian gangsters. Chili takes over Athens' record company, Nothing to Lose Records, and begins courting Tommy's girlfriend, Edie (Uma Thurman). Edie is an experienced hand in record production, and together she and Chili spot what would seem to be the ideal act for their label — Linda Moon (Christina Milian), a beautiful young woman with a powerhouse voice. Linda is stuck, however, in a going-nowhere R&B trio managed by the monumentally sleazy Raji (Vince Vaughn). Chili isn't much concerned about Linda's contract with Raji, but Raji certainly is, and the manager soon takes out a contract on Chili with the same Russian hoods who killed Tommy. Soon Chili is facing all the action he can handle between the Russian gunmen, a music mogul named Nick Carr (Harvey Keitel) who wants Chili to stay out of the business, and Sin LaSalle (Cedric the Entertainer), a successful hip-hop producer who wants Chili to pay him the 300,000 dollars he is owed by Tommy. Be Cool also features appearances by The Rock as a gay Samoan bodyguard, Andre Benjamin (aka Andre 3000 from the hip-hop duo Outkast) as a rapper who isn't very good with a gun, and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler as himself. — Mark Deming
Edition Details
Release Date 6/7/2005
Packaging Keep Case
Screen Ratio 2.40:1
Subtitles Cantonese; English; French; Mandarin; Spanish
Audio Tracks ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC]
FRENCH: Dolby Digital Surround
Layers Single Side, Dual Layer
No. of Disks/Tapes 1
Personal Details
Purchase Date 6/8/2005
Owner Thomas Eisenmann
Store Best Buy
Purchase Price $15.99
Condition Excellent
Reviewed Widescreen Review
Bit Rate 448 KB
Anamophic Yes
Links DVD Empire
Amazon US
IMDB

Features
Anamophic
Includes a 22-minute making-of documentary, 14 deleted scenes, a seven-minute gag reel (it gets funnier after the first minute), a music video by The Rock as Elliot Wilhelm “You Ain’t Woman Enough To Take My Man” (with an introduction that assures viewers that it is a joke...something that is not very hard to figure out), five Close Up featurettes (Dance Partners, The Rock, André 3000, Cedric The Entertainer, Christina Milian) with running times varying from three to six minutes apiece, the theatrical trailer, and bonus trailers.

Widescreen Review
Story Synopsis:
Former gangster-turned-filmmaker Chili Palmer (Travolta) is looking for a new niche in the music industry when his buddy Tommy Athens (James Woods) is gunned down by Russian gangsters. Taking over Athens’ record label and joining along with widow Edie Athens (Thurman), Chili looks to get Linda Moon (Milian) out of her contract with a sleazy manager and sign her onto his label. Before long, Chili can’t seem to get anyone around him to Be Cool, because he’s in trouble for stealing Linda and is responsible for a debt owed by Tommy. Based on the novel by Elmore Leonard, this sequel to the 1995 hit Get Shorty is a star-studded, cameo-filled, music-driven crime comedy. (Suzanne Hodges)

DVD Picture:
Color fidelity is amazingly rich and warm in this anamorphically enhanced DVD (framed at 2.40:1). Images are sharp and detailed. Shadow delineation is fantasic, as depicted in The Viper Room sequence, which reveals the subtle difference between Chili’s dark gray shirt and black jacket. There is no obtrusive edge enhancement, nor is pixelization much of a problem with this title. The only complaint, albeit a minor one, is regarding a slightly smeared appearance that is occasionally noticed. Overall, the picture looks great! (Suzanne Hodges)

Soundtrack:
The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack can be appealing. Unfortunately, the clipped, strident dialogue can be disquieting. The front stereo stage can be engaging, and the basic use of surrounds helps add dimensionality, but the meat of the soundtrack is based on the center channel. The LFE channel is used nicely when needed. The soundtrack is rather basic and unappealing. (Danny Richelieu)