Lemmie just get this outta the way right now: "Be Cool" isn't as good as "Get Shorty." "Be Cool" made me laugh, I was never bored, and I genuinely enjoyed it, but it's not as good as "Get Shorty." It's a totally unnecessary sequel, but since it was a sequel in book form before it was a movie, then it makes it seem a little more acceptable. Unfortunately, it was an unnecessary sequel in book form as well (think "Hannibal"). I did like it, though.
I gotta warn you, this might be a short review. It's a busy weekend for me, and I've got a lot going on, so I don't have much time to spend writing this review. I'll do my best to make this review no less informative than usual.
Ten years have passed since "Get Shorty" came out, and for this sequel, the only people who bothered to come back were John Travolta (who desperately needs a hit) and Danny DeVito (who is also one of the producers... his role is practically a cameo, by the way). Both books were written by Elmore Leonard, but the "Get Shorty" screenplay was written by Scott Frank, a really good writer who also adapted Elmore Leonard's "Out of Sight." The director of "Get Shorty" was Barry Sonnenfeld, who did a great job with the film. With "Be Cool," the screenplay was written by Peter Steinfeld (he wrote "Analyze That" and "Drowning Mona"), who isn't bad, but he's no Scott Frank. The director was F. Gary Gray, a director I like who also directed "The Italian Job," "A Man Apart," "The Negotiator," and "Friday." F. Gary Gray is a good director, but while Sonnenfeld sorta let the comedy happen, Gray went for the comedy, lampooning gangsta rap and the music industry in general. It doesn't make for a bad movie, but it makes for a very different movie, and those who expected another "Get Shorty" will probably be disappointed... which is interesting because the two movies are very similar story-wise and character-wise. Maybe that's why F. Gary Gray took another approach to it. He saw how similar the two movies would be, and he didn't wanna make a carbon copy of the first one.
The cast is really good, I like John Travolta in this role. He doesn't come across as cool as he does in "Get Shorty," but he's still really good playing the "Chili Palmer" character. Uma Thurman, looking sexier than ever, is really good, too. Still, as much as I like her in the movie, I don't like how the movie doesn't explain what happened to Rene Russo's character.
The supporting characters are awesome. Vince Vaughn is hilarious, Cedric the Entertainer is also very funny, Harvey Keitel is great as always, and surprisingly, André Benjamin (also known as André 3000 from the rap group Outkast) is also quite good. But the two real highlights for me were Christina Milian and The Rock. Before seeing this movie, I thought Christina Milian was just another MTV skank, one of those talentless singers who lip-synch and find success because they're pretty and have connections. I was dead wrong. Yes, Christina Milian is VERY pretty, but she also has a beautiful voice, and I was surprised to see that she also plays the piano. I was very impressed with her... the singing, the piano playing, the acting, all of it. I hope she has a hugely successful career, whether it's in music, movies, or both. Then there's The Rock. He probably played my favorite character in the movie. I wish he was given more screen time, because I liked his scenes the best. He seemed to give 110% to the role, taking it seriously while spoofing himself at the same time.
Steven Tyler seems like a cool guy. I like Aerosmith, and he's a really good singer, but he's a shitty actor.
"Be Cool" has its share of flaws, and it's not as good as "Get Shorty," but I got a kick out of it. I think I may be in the minority, though. I think a lotta fans of the first film will be really disappointed with this second one. I liked it, but I can see why others may not. And they should have at least had a line of dialogue explaining what happened to Rene Russo's character.
Scale of 1-10: 7