John Travolta first danced with Uma Thurman in “”Pulp Fiction”” now they are back together again in “”Be Cool”” the sequel to the cult hit “”Get Shorty.”” This time out they are bringing along Dwayne “”The Rock”” Johnson, Vince Vaughn and Christina Milian along for the ride, and what a ride it is.
In “”Get Shorty,”” Chili Palmer (John Travolta) was a hood whose job was to collect for his mob bosses. In Shorty he fell in love with the film industry and decided to become a film producer. He now wants out and stumbles into the record business where he promptly discovers the next big thing, Linda Moon (Christina Milian) an R & B singer who is tied up with her pimp manager Raji (Vince Vaughn) a white Jewish boy who tries to act black and his gay, tough guy, body guard Elliot Wilhelm (The Rock).””Be Cool’s”” plot is more convoluted and complicated than it needs to be. All of the various interconnecting stories, schemes, frames, and set-ups could have and should have been more streamlined, this is a text book case of a cast being too big and unwieldy, but somehow it all works and fits. The Rock and Vince Vaughn basically steal this film with their over the top, take no prisoners performance. When Vaughn puts on his Vanilla Ice show it’s hysterical, the audience I saw this with was laughing out loud every time these two came on screen. Travolta oozed cool, and Uma was well Uma. Cedric the Entertainer’s homage to Shug Knight seemed totally out of place in the film although he does have a funny monologue towards the end of the film that almost made everything else he did prior, seem worthwhile. The film’s weak link was Christina Milian’s performance, both musically and actorally (my own word) speaking. She’s stiff and while she has a strong voice, as a producer in the film says, she’s bland. There’s nothing that distinguishes her from any of other current singer. As a matter of fact for half the film I thought she was Beyonce. She looks and sounds almost just like her. She does a duet with Steven Tyler that was just beyond awful, she was singing in her own little world. It reminded me of Beyonce’s horrible duet at the Oscars. “”Be Cool”” is that rare sequel that surpasses the original, which doesn’t take much since I was never a fan of “”Get Shorty.”” I thought it was ok, but it didn’t make me laugh once. If you are in the mood to simply laugh and not think too much, then “”Be Cool”” is your ticket. Vince Vaughn and The Rock’s performance are worth the matinee (not full) price of admission alone.Final Grade B-EM Review byMichelle AlexandriaOriginally Posted 3/04/05