Entertainment
Be Cool: Much
Hipper Than Get Shorty
Jade Melody |
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 John Travolta returns as Chili
Palmer, the Miami loan shark who has slipped effortlessly into the
life of a Hollywood movie producer, in Be Cool, the sequel to
the 1995 comedy Get Shorty. After a 10-year hiatus, Chili
Palmer continues his adventures onscreen as he abandons the fickle
movie business and finds himself at the hub of the music
industry.
As everyone knows, the best background for the
entertainment industry is the criminal underworld, and Be
Cool has its fair share of lowlifes and high rollers. Raji
(played by Vince Vaughn) is a ruthless, pimped out white boy whose
affection for urban music dictates his entire existence. With his
Burberry jacket, Gucci monogrammed velour jogging suit and gold
chains, Raji is an overzealous dim-witted (but affluent) urbanite
who somehow managed to make his way into the artist management
aspect of the music industry.
Since Vince Vaughn is no
stranger to comedies, starring in movies like Dodgeball with
Ben Stiller and the hit comedy Old School with Luke Wilson
and Will Ferrell, it comes as no surprise to see Vaughn exercising
his comedic muscles. Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock), however, is
unexpectedly hilarious as he brings to life Elliot, Raji’s
bodyguard, who is an earnest and irresistibly charming
character.
 Elliot is a huge departure from the
roles that viewers are used to seeing The Rock play. Notable for his
epic performances in movies such as The Mummy Returns and
The Scorpion King, Johnson plays a gay Samoan that, like so
many others here in L.A, is desperately seeking a career in acting.
Elliot, who is a bodyguard by trade not by choice, is badgering and
abusing one minute, then dancing, acting and singing the
next.
Harvey Keitel (Mean Streets, Alice Doesn’t
Live Here Anymore and Taxi Driver) is Nick Carr, Raji and
Elliot’s grimy know-it-all boss, head of the shady management
company responsible for an up-and-coming vocalist, Linda Moon
(Christina Milian). Other crooked characters include Sin LaSalle
(played by Cedric the Entertainer), who is a famed music producer
(think Dr Dre meets Kanye West) whose not afraid to use muscle or
metal to further his aims, and Andre Benjamin (otherwise known as
Andre 3000 of OutKast) as a gangster rapper named Dabu, a member of
Sin LaSalle’s hit group called the Dub MDs.
As the story
unfolds, Chili Palmer finds himself in debate with all of these
characters (including the Russian mob), but of course he always
manages to “be cool.” Never one to miss an opportunity, Chili Palmer
befriends Edie (Uma Thurman), a tall, lanky, ambitious blonde who,
after her husband’s death, needs help with her failing independent
label. Taking both Edie and Linda Moon (Milian) under his wing,
Chili uses his signature blend of wiseguy skills and manipulation to
get Moon out from under Nick and Raji’s thumb and into the limelight
where she belongs.
 The fact that 23-year-old Milian is a
rising R&B/pop star in real life helps add a bit of authenticity
to her character and performance (not to mention she’s HOT and the
girl can sing!). Milian’s character in the film gets to live out
what almost every aspiring performer dreams of doing: meeting and
singing live with Aerosmith, attending the MTV Music Awards and
scoring a hot recording contract, all within an hour and 54 minutes
(where do I sign up!?!?).
With a pretty simplistic premise
and predictable plot, Be Cool’s appeal lies mostly in its
ability to mock the definition of “Hollywood,” particularly focusing
on the stereotypes of the music industry and the egotistical
Hummer-driving people who populate it. In fact, it seems like
everyone is in on it since the film features cameos by Steven Tyler,
The Black Eyed Peas and Anna Nicole Smith.
Since Be
Cool is a sequel to Get Shorty, and since both are based
on novels written by famed author Elmore Leonard, I feel compelled
to write about their similarities. Besides the fact that John
Travolta plays Chili Palmer and Danny DeVito plays Martin Weir in
both films, these two movies are nothing alike. I hadn’t seen Get
Shorty before the screening of Be Cool, so I took a trip
down to my local Blockbuster and rented it a few days later. All
psyched-up about the movie, having read reviews describing it as
"the most hilariously funny comedy of the year," I happily popped in
the DVD. About halfway through I turned it off and said forget it.
What a disappointment. The styles and tones are completely
different. Get Shorty is a subtle comedy, far different from
the bust-your-gut in-your-face comedy of Be Cool.
 If you like movies like Malibu’s
Most Wanted or Saturday Night Live’s Superstar, I
think you’ll appreciate Be Cool. And even if you hate those
kind of comic book comedies, seeing The Rock perform a monologue
from Bring It On and sing lyrics like, “You ain't woman
enough to take my man,” is worth the $8 splurge for this
movie.
Be Cool is now playing in theaters
everywhere.
Check out the film's trailer at
www.becoolmovie.com.
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