'Get Shorty' saw loan shark Chili Palmer getting out of that illegal business and getting into the film business. Now he has had enough of that. When a friend who runs a music studio is murdered Chili decides to get into that business. This means working with Edie Athens, his friend's widow. He has already found a young woman he thinks they should promote but unfortunately she is under contract to somebody else. That isn't the only problem; the business is broke and owes money to some Russian gangsters and a hip-hop producer and his group of gangsta-rappers. If he doesn't find a way to raise the money he and Edie will be in real trouble.
This is one of those films that has plenty of funny moments but is ultimately a bit disappointing. The story is a bit convoluted and is often far to knowing; Chili states that you can only use the 'F-word' once if you want to avoid an R rating... then he uses it for the only time in the film; later Steve Tyler, of Aerosmith talks about having film offers but never accepting any. The rating is also part of the problem; toning things down to get the PG-13 rating makes the film feel tame with scenes that should have a sense of danger being played for laughs. The cast contains many well-known actors; perhaps a little surprisingly the most entertaining performance comes from Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in a fairly early role as a gay Samoan bodyguard. Overall I'd say this wasn't a bad film; it just falls short of what it should have been.
This is one of those films that has plenty of funny moments but is ultimately a bit disappointing. The story is a bit convoluted and is often far to knowing; Chili states that you can only use the 'F-word' once if you want to avoid an R rating... then he uses it for the only time in the film; later Steve Tyler, of Aerosmith talks about having film offers but never accepting any. The rating is also part of the problem; toning things down to get the PG-13 rating makes the film feel tame with scenes that should have a sense of danger being played for laughs. The cast contains many well-known actors; perhaps a little surprisingly the most entertaining performance comes from Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in a fairly early role as a gay Samoan bodyguard. Overall I'd say this wasn't a bad film; it just falls short of what it should have been.