"Be Cool" is the byproduct of the efforts of an all-star cast. With its pedigree and "prequel," be prepared for a roller coaster of different reactions.
The film's roots lie in its predecessor, "Get Shorty." "Be Cool" follows along the lines of a sequel, to some extent. Director F. Gary Gray ("The Italian Job") teams up with producer Danny DeVito to adapt another of Elmore Leonard's celebrated novels.
Gray signed a cast big enough to put the rest of Hollywood on hold. There is no main character in the film besides Chili Palmer (John Travolta). Screen time is split equally among the supporting actors.
Travolta is teamed up with "Pulp Fiction" co-star Uma Thurman, who plays Edie. Their onscreen relationship possesses chemistry and mutual admiration that few actors have the skill to convey.
Acting alongside stars Travolta and Thurman is Danny DeVito ("Big Fish"), another star whose cinematic appearances these days are regrettably sparse. The already high-profile bill also includes Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Cedric the Entertainer, Christina Milian, The Rock and, last but not least, Vince Vaughn.
Vaughn ("Dodgeball," "Swingers") plays one of the funniest characters, Rodge, a white producer who dresses like a "thug" and is convinced that he's black. Throughout the movie his supposedly tough "gangster" persona is broken down in light of his cowardly actions.
In the opening scene, Edie's husband, while having lunch with Chili, is murdered by an outraged Russian. Thereafter, Chili changes jobs, a recurring process, and he decides to leave his acting career to become a music producer.
The film slows down for the next 20 minutes and leaves the viewer feeling anxious. Things pick up though with Edie's introduction scene. It's a scene crowded with product placements and has head-turning appeal.
After the death of Edie's husband, Chili and Edie team up to get her husband's company back on its feet, especially with a $300,000 debt to Cedric and his abnormally large henchmen.
With the pressure on, Chili steals Linda Moon (Milian) from Rodge, though he doesn't yet own the legal rights to her contract. In a series of comedic events, Russians, thugs, Cedric's gangsters, Rodge and his homosexual sidekick (The Rock), along with Chili's crew collide in a wild goose chase.
One of the funniest aspects of the film is how The Rock is taken out of his usual role as the bad-to-the-bone enforcer, and becomes the antithesis of that.
Viewers get a half-spoof reenactment of the "Pulp Fiction" dance by Travolta and Thurman. The scene has a modern music background, but towards the end their moves coincide with their previous rendezvous.
Camera angles give the scene the same feel as the "Pulp" dance competition, using high and low angle shots while circling the actors.
The comedic reputation of "Get Shorty" holds up in "Be Cool," especially when the actors are taken out of the context in their standard roles. Each actor plays unusual roles, according to their acting past, but it works in creating a great film.
