Be Cool (2005)
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A restless mobster enters the music industry to save a failing record label and navigate a web of crooked producers and Russian mobsters.
The story
Ernesto "Chili" Palmer, a mobster disenchanted with filmmaking, enters the music industry after witnessing the Russian mob kill his friend, the owner of a small independent record label. Chili offers to help the owner's widow, Edie Athens, manage the failing business, which is in debt to hip-hop producer Sin LaSalle. Chili becomes impressed by a small-time club singer, Linda Moon, and attempts to free her from the control of crooked producers Nick Carr and Raji. However, Carr and Raji hire a hitman to eliminate Chili before he can arrange for Linda to perform with Aerosmith.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Ernesto "Chili" Palmer, a mobster tired of filmmaking, enters the music industry to help Edie Athens manage her late husband's failing record label, which owes $300,000 to producer Sin LaSalle. Chili aims to free small-time singer Linda Moon from the control of crooked producers Nick Carr and Raji. Carr and Raji hire hitman Joe "Loop" Lupino to kill Chili, but Loop mistakenly kills a Russian mob enforcer instead. Raji subsequently beats Loop to death. Chili manages to tip off the FBI to raid a pawn shop holding Linda's contract and eventually arranges for her to perform with Aerosmith. LaSalle, insulted by the Russian boss Bulkin's racism, murders Bulkin. Chili successfully makes Linda an instant success and placates LaSalle. Carr and Raji order Elliot, an aspiring actor, to kill Chili, but Chili befriends him. Elliot eventually turns on Raji after learning Chili secured him an audition for a Nicole Kidman film. Raji is burned to death in a fireworks explosion, and Carr is arrested for murder. Linda wins Best New Artist and Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards, while Elliot lands his co-starring role with Kidman.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 120
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- F. Gary Gray
- Writers
- Peter Steinfeld · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- John Travolta · Ernesto "Chili" Palmer; Uma Thurman; Vince Vaughn; Cedric the Entertainer; Andre Benjamin; Steven Tyler; Robert Pastorelli; Christina Milian; Harvey Keitel; The Rock; Danny DeVito
- Genres
- crime comedy; LGBTQ-related; satirical
- Themes
- Music Industry; Mafia; Ambition
- Tone and mood
- Satirical; Comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- Music; Mafia; Comedy; Satire
- Source material / true-story basis
- Elmore Leonard's 1999 novel, which was the sequel to Leonard's 1990 novel Get Shorty.
- Franchise connections
- Get Shorty
- Content notes
- LGBTQ-related
- Reception
- The film received generally unfavorable reviews from critics but performed well at the box office, grossing $95.8 million on a budget of $53–75 million.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 37 · scale: 100 · review count: 38
- Production trivia
- Eric Balfour was originally cast as Derek but his scenes were cut.; It was Anna Nicole Smith's last feature film before her death in 2007.; It was Robert Pastorelli's final appearance.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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