Hollywood has such a strong, strange allure that even a loan shark in Miami
can't resist the urge to get into the movie business. John Travolta, as
Chili Palmer, the loan shark in pursuit of dry cleaner and film producer
Gene Hackman, take center stage in this movie about making movies. It is
hard to say who steals more scenes, Travolta, Hackman, or Rene Russo as
a "B" movie scream queen. But "Get Shorty" is a hilarious
flip-flopping roller coaster ride that proves that loan sharking is great
training for making movies, except that in Hollywood they really play rough.
Travolta has a great idea for a movie that he pitches to Hackman when he
comes to collect a debt, and Russo gets involved when they try to interest
her ex-husband, Danny DeVito. He portrays a top actor who can get a film
made just by being attached to the project. Imagine Mel Gibson, only shorter.
"Pulp Fiction" meets "The Player" could be the subtitle
for "Get Shorty", but it all goes to proves that Travolta's success
is deserved. Oh, there really is a "Chili Palmer" too! He plays
one of the Dennis Farina's cronies. Chili gave author Elmore Leonard lots
of background information on being a loan shark. The "real" Chili
left "the life" in the sixties and became a private investigator.
Truth is almost stranger than fiction. Rated R.
Copyright 1994-2008 Film Scouts LLC
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