Ugh. This one still hurts.

“Be Cool” arrives on Prime Video this month, almost twenty years after it’s release and it remains perhaps one of the most disappointing sequels of the last 30.

You might remember “Get Shorty”, the 95′ comedy that continued John Travolta’s redemption arc after Pulp Fiction, and also starred Renee Russo and Danny Devito in the story of Travolta’s Chili Palmer, as his gangster gets tied up in the Hollywood movie scene. It was one of the most cleverly written comedies of the time.

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They tried to do it again with “Be Cool” and loaded it up with an epic cast, as Travolta gets reunited with his Pulp Fiction co star Uma Thurman as they crash the music industry this time. But not even a still new to the movie business, Dwayne Johnson, Harvey Keitel (another ‘Fiction’ reunion), James Woods, or Thurman can save this virtually humorless rehash that tries way too hard, even thought the key to “Get Shorty” was to not try at all and to let the charm of Travolta and his co stars do all of the work. Very little of it works this time around and it’s really unfortunate.

If there is a bright spot, it’s Vince Vaughn’s manager heel, who gives us the most laughs. His chemistry with Johnson is good and his “E. Wheazy” scene could save you a lot of time if you just decide to watch that instead. It’s the funniest part of the movie.

When you think about it, the drop from ‘Shorty’ to ‘Cool’ is tragically steep. Watch the former instead.

Be Cool:

Grade 2005: D+

Grade 2024: D+

Have you watched Be Cool? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.

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