Attitude plays a part.
Chili Palmer is a Miami mobster who gets sent to L.A. to collect a bad debt from Harry Zimm, a Hollywood producer who specializes in cheesy horror films. When Chili meets Harry's leading lady, the romantic sparks fly. After pitching his own life story as a movie idea, Chili learns that being a mobster and being a Hollywood producer really aren't all that different.
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Character
Cool, classical in form, contemporary and effortless.
- cooloverwhelming
- classical in formformally daring
- contemporarynostalgic
- effortlessdemanding
- gravecomic
Who loves it, who doesn't
89 profiled raters. Loved most by The Prestige Hunters; disliked most by The Prestige Hunters.
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“Is John Travolta the best thing in Get Shorty?”
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“Is Get Shorty better than Men in Black?”
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“Is it funnier than it is smart?”
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A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · Apr 20247/10
Mobster "Chilli Palmer" (John Travolta) finds himself a bit exposed when his benefactor boss has an heart attack on his sixty-fifth birthday. Luckily for him, his new nemesis "Bones" still has an use for him - go to Hollywood and collect some gambling debts from "Harry" (Gene Hackman). This fellow produces the kind of horror films that would have made Roger Corman blush, but he's a bit smarter than the average bear so is soon trying to manoeuvre his new friend into a career in the movies. Not acting in them, but producing them - and suddenly "Chilli" realises that he already has quite a few of the skills necessary to coax, cajole and plain old extort from just about everyone to fund a vehicle for "Karen" (Rene Russo). They use established star "Weir" (Danny DeVito) as a consultant and try to con the dapper drug-peddling "Catlett" (Delroy Lindo) out of half a million dollars to pay the bills - well someone's bills. Travolta is on good form here with a tongue in cheek, less-is-more, style of delivery but it's really Hackman who steals the show. His sharp and opportunistic character pokes fun at the film industry from funding to casting to filming in quite an entertaining fashion, and
Read the whole review on TMDB - Peter McGinnon TMDB · Oct 202210/10
I know that no movie is perfect but for my money Get Shorty is on my short list of films that come close. As good as the book is, I believe the movie improved upon it. I have watched it a few times, it being one of those movies we might invite a friend over to watch who hasn’t seen it. Plus it has surfaced a few times when I surf streaming channels and I usually stop to watch for a while, no matter where in the film I am. The ensemble cast (which includes a few lower echelon stars) is excellent and mostly look like they are having fun with it. There is violence, but not with buckets of blood. It almost seems like cartoonish violence. And of course wit and humor run through it, with a bit of satire on Hollywood thrown in. I just found out today that a sequel was made called Be Cool and a British tv series based on the book, but I like this one so much I won't even risk disappointment by watching those other entries.
Read the whole review on TMDB - GenerationofSwineon TMDB · Jan 20231/10
You know what, I really love Elmore Leonard, and a part of me feels that nearly any movie made from his works is going to come out as fresh, original, and worth watching. This is the rare exception. Here they took a classic Elmore Leonard plot and made it too Hollywood for its own good. And then they tried a bit hard to make it too much like a Pulp Fiction film, but with less bleak comedy and more slapstick comedy. You still have Leonard's unique originality...but the story has been raped and what's left is trash.
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Cast
- John TravoltaChili Palmer
- Gene HackmanHarry Zimm
- Rene RussoKaren Flores
- Danny DeVitoMartin Weir
- Dennis FarinaRay 'Bones' Barboni
- Delroy LindoBo Catlett
- James GandolfiniBear
- Jon GriesRonnie Wingate
- Renee PropsNicki
- David PaymerLeo Devoe
Crew
- Barry SonnenfeldDirector
- Scott FrankScreenplay
- Elmore LeonardNovel
- Donald PetermanDirector of Photography
- John LurieOriginal Music Composer
- Jim MillerEditor
- Stacey SherProducer
- Michael ShambergProducer
- Danny DeVitoProducer
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
White Men Can't Jump 199279% alikeBoth classical in form, effortless.
Intolerable Cruelty 200377% alikeBoth cool, classical in form, contemporary.
Megamind 201077% alikeBoth contemporary, effortless.
Family Plot 197676% alikeBoth classical in form, cool.
Death Becomes Her 199276% alikeBoth contemporary, classical in form, cool.
Logan Lucky 201776% alikeBoth contemporary, classical in form.
A Fish Called Wanda 198875% alikeBoth classical in form, cool.
Manhattan Murder Mystery 199375% alikeBoth classical in form, contemporary, cool.
The Gentlemen 202477% alikeTelevision · Both contemporary, cool, classical in form.
Captain Fall 202377% alikeTelevision · Both contemporary, cool, classical in form.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Tastebuds
