Thursday, April 07, 2005

Movie Haiku - Be Cool

www.becoolmovie.com

Dir: F. Gary Gray

Cast: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Vince Vaughan, Christina Milian

He wants her contract
she owns record label
yes they dance again


Get Shorty was one of those films that thought it was a lot smarter than it actually was. Sadly the sequel, Be Cool, makes exactly the same mistake. This time around Chili Palmer (Travolta) moves his attention from the movie business to the music business, and soon gets involved with a singer (Milian) who he wants to manage. This leads to all sorts of trouble as she's already got a manager (Vaughan) and contracted to a record label (run by the horribly miscast Harvey Keitel). Factor in the Russian mafia, various rap moguls and bodyguards with an all-star cast and you've got a great comedy caper, right? Wrong. It's a case of all casting, no script as the movie plods slowly from one set-up to the next... jeez, does this film drag its heels! The idea of a nobody singer suddenly being picked up and singing on stage with Aerosmith after (apparently) one meeting is frankly ludicrous and a fairytale at best. The cast don't do the film any favours either. Travolta is bearable, and Uma Thurman looks good, but their relationship on screen just doesn't work, and as for that dancing scene - a nod to Pulp Fiction - it is simply excrutiating to watch. Vaughan is simply horrible, and the less said about Keitel's little "rap" the better, quite frankly. The only person to escape with any dignity intact is - surprisingly - The Rock, who is consistently witty throughout, lampooning his macho background.

soulmining rating: **

No comments: