Get Shorty
Get Shorty is one of those complicated movies that not everyone understands. I saw it twice because the first time I saw it, I didn't know what happened to who. After the second time around, I understood the entire movie. It is a complex and very funny yarn about Hollywood and serves as John Travolta's second best movie after his long break in the movie business.
The movie begins with Chili Palmer (John Travolta, who does one of the best acting jobs I have ever seen him do) at a restaurant. He loses his coat and finds out that Ray "Bones" Barbone (Dennis Farina) took it. He goes to his apartment and when Barbone opens the door, Palmer punches him in the face and takes his coat. That is what the entire movie is like. It's a wild, funny ride through Hollywood as Palmer, who goes to California to collect on a debt, decides to stay there and become a movie producer.
Palmer has an idea for a movie and wants it to be produced, so while he goes to Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman) to collect the money for Barbone, he decides that Zimm can help produce his movie. He breaks into his girlfriend (or whatever she is) Karen Flores' (Rene Russo) apartment to tell him the story. While there, they break a deal to produce the movie. Karen takes an interest in the script and wants to help produce it. However, Zimm is in trouble with some investors who are waiting for there movie to be produced. But Zimm has another movie (Mr. Lovejoy) that he wants to make.
The movie is too complex to really write out. The acting has a major effect on the movie too. John Travolta, who was denied an Oscar nomination, is in top form as Chili Palmer. Rene Russo is good as the horror-film actress who wants to produce movies. Danny DeVito is hilarious as Martin Weir, a top-notch actor that wants the part of the Shylock in their movie. I couldn't keep the two movies straight. I wasn't sure which one they were producing and which one they were talking about at different times. It's very confusing but funny.
Get Shorty is rated R. There is an incredible amount of language use (it seems like they reach over 100 f**k words in the first half of the movie) and the violence is a little graphic, but mostly just comic. There are a lot of cameo appearances (Penny Marshall directs a movie in the end) and some Hollywood talk that not many people will understand. The movie is witty and uses so many plot twists that you aren't sure what happened the minute before. However, the movie is very well done and makes sure that you see it more than once, if you know what I mean.