Get Shorty (film)

Get Shorty is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by Scott Frank. It is based on Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name and stars John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, and Danny DeVito. Get Shorty follows Chili Palmer (Travolta), a Miami mobster who inadvertently gets involved in feature film production after traveling to Los Angeles to collect a debt from Harry Zimm (Hackman).

Get Shorty
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBarry Sonnenfeld
Produced byDanny DeVito
Michael Shamberg
Stacey Sher
Screenplay byScott Frank
Based onGet Shorty
by Elmore Leonard
Starring
Music byJohn Lurie
CinematographyDonald Peterman[1]
Edited byJim Miller
Production
company
Jersey Films
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • October 20, 1995 (1995-10-20)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million[2]
Box office$115.1 million[3]

It was followed by a sequel, Be Cool, in 2005, and inspired a television series of the same name.

Plot

Chili Palmer, a Miami loan shark, finds himself working for Ray "Bones" Barboni after the death of Palmer's boss, Momo. Chili and Bones constantly clash, and he orders Chili to Las Vegas collect a debt from Leo Devoe, who faked his death to claim $300,000 in an insurance scam. While in Vegas, Chili picks up a second job to collect a debt from film producer Harry Zimm. In Los Angeles, he warns Harry to pay what he owes in 90 days, and pitches a thinly veiled story of his own life, including the scam by Leo, as a film idea.

Harry also owes a $200,000 debt to drug dealer Bo Catlett, who invested in an uncompleted film. Bo owes money to his supplier, Mr. Escobar, and murders Escobar's nephew, Yayo Portillo. Chili threatens Bo and his partner Ronnie Wingate to help Harry, who is overly protective of a script titled Mr Lovejoy, written by the late husband of his girlfriend, Doris. Instead of repayment, they offer Harry a large sum of money, stored in an airport locker, to finance Mr Lovejoy. They suggest Chili retrieve it, who agrees after throwing Bo's bodyguard, Bear, down a flight of stairs. At the airport, Chili opens an adjacent locker, and is questioned by DEA agents.

Meanwhile, Chili finds Leo and collects the money owed, plus a vig for late payment. Chili then goes on a date with Karen Flores, the ex-wife of actor Martin Weir; he convinces Martin to portray him in his film. Harry calls Bones, telling him Chili recovered the money from Leo. Bones goes to Harry's office and assaults him for not revealing the location of the money. Ronnie walks in and Bones shoots him, putting the gun in Harry's hand.

Desperate to pay Escobar, Bo kidnaps Karen and demands the money Chili collected from Leo. After Chili gives it to him, Bo reneges on their deal. Unbeknownst to Bo, Chili made a deal with Bear to double-cross Bo. In the ensuing struggle, Bo falls over a loosened balcony rail to his death. Bones then confronts Chili, who informs him about the locker; Bones arrives at the airport as DEA agents guard the locker.

Chili's film then begins production, being directed by Penny Marshall and starring Harvey Keitel as Bones.

Cast
A Miami mobster who gets involved in the film industry.
A debt-ridden B movie film producer.
An actress dissatisfied with her career. She is the ex-wife of Martin Weir.
A successful actor who Chili pursues to star in his film.

The film also features Dennis Farina as Ray "Bones" Barboni, Chili's newfound boss, Delroy Lindo as Bo Catlett, a Los Angeles loan shark, as well as James Gandolfini and Jon Gries as Ronnie Wingate and Bear, respectively, two members of Bo's crew. David Paymer and Linda Hart appear as Leo and Faye Devoe, a couple who commit insurance fraud. Miguel Sandoval also appears as Mr. Escobar, a Los Angeles mobster, with Jacob Vargas as Yayo Portillo, his nephew, while Bette Midler features as Doris, Harry's girlfriend. Martin Ferrero and Renee Props guest star as Tommy Carlo, a member of Chili's crew, and Nicki, Martin's mistress.

The film also features an uncredited appearance from Ernest "Chili" Palmer, a private investigator who inspired the original character.[4]

Soundtrack

The movie features an acid- and soul-jazz themed soundtrack with songs by Us3, Morphine, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Greyboy and Medeski Martin & Wood alongside original compositions by John Lurie.[5] The soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy Award (1997 - Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television).[6]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 56 reviews, with an average rating of 7.74/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With a perfect cast and a sly twist on the usual Hollywood gangster dynamic, Get Shorty delivers a sharp satire that doubles as an entertaining comedy-thriller in its own right."[7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[8] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade "B+" on scale of A+ to F.[9] The film was entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival.[10]

The film opened at #1 upon its release (10/20-22) with $12.7 million.[11] Get Shorty remained #1 for three consecutive weeks before being overtaken by Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.[12]

Accolades

For his role as Chili Palmer, John Travolta received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. The film also received nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

References
  1. "Perry Moore, 'Narnia' series executive producer, dies at 39; Don Peterman, Oscar-nominated cinematographer, dies at 79; Nancy Carr, network TV publicist, dies at 50". Los Angeles Times. 2011-02-22. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  2. "Why 'Get Shorty' Is One of the Best Crime Comedies Ever". Collider. October 21, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  3. "Get Shorty". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  4. Anne E. Kornblut (November 5, 1995). "The Real Chili Palmer". New York Daily News. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  5. Okamoto, David (October 30, 1995). "`Get Shorty' Scores A Hit With Funky Soundtrack". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved June 14, 2017 – via Chicago Tribune.
  6. "Artist: John Lurie". Grammy Award. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  7. Get Shorty at Rotten Tomatoes
  8. Get Shorty at Metacritic
  9. "GET SHORTY (1995) B+". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
  10. "Berlinale: 1996 Programme". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
  11. Robert W. Welkos (24 October 1995). "Weekend Box Office : 'Shorty' Stands Tall in Ticket Sales". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  12. "Weekend Box Office November 10–12, 1995". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
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