Be Cool? More like, Be Cold.
Indeed, there's not much to warm up to in this lacklustre sequel
of Get Shorty. John Travolta reprises his role as ex-loanshark
collector Chilli who, in 1995's Get Shorty, managed to
muscle his way into the Hollywood movie industry and make millions.
In this new movie, Chilli's good friend and record company boss
is murdered, leaving behind his sexy wife (Uma Thurman) and a lot
of debts. In order to help her, Chilli wants to turn a talented
young singer into a money-making star engine. But to do that, he
has to face the Russian mafia, a money-grubbing rap artiste, as
well as other assorted baddies of the pop music industry.
The film isn't as fun as Get Shorty, and there's something
about "Yawn" Travolta's smug, look-at-me-I'm-so-cool presence that's
becoming old and annoying. The only thing we found funny is wrestling
star The Rock, who appears briefly as a gay actor-singer wannabee.