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Get Shorty [DVD] [Standard and Letterbox]

1 disc
Region 1 USA/CA (info)

This slick adaptation of Elmore Leonard's 1990 novel features John Travolta as Chili Palmer, a Miami loan shark who's been sent to L.A. to collect on a bad debt from trash movie producer Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), the maker of the stunning flops "Grotesque" and "Slime People." But this is Harry's lucky day, because Chili is also a film buff, and when he's done talking tough he starts pitching Harry a script idea. As everyone knows, the best background for the motion picture industry is the criminal underworld, and Chili is smoothly launched into the life of a producer: romancing a B-movie scream queen, schmoozing superstars, getting reservations in the hottest restaurants in town. However, Chili's not the only mobster wanting to turn producer. It seems that a thug named Bo Catlett (Delroy Lindo), another of Harry's lenders, also wants a piece of the action. Add in a group of angry drug smugglers and there is an abundance of double- and triple-crosses, as well as plenty of wisecracks and Hollywood insider jokes. GET SHORTY crosses the line of life imitating art--and vice versa--many times, including the real Ernest "Chili" Palmer (on whom the character is based) playing a Mafia henchman. Barry Sonnenfeld's entertaining romp is a wild look at the celebrity life in Hollywood, featuring numerous cameos of stars playing themselves.
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Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 906036
Credits

John Travolta, Rene Russo, Gene Hackman, Eugene Alder, Danny DeVito, Danny De Vito, Delroy Lindo, Dennis Farina, James Gandolfini, David Paymer
Critic Reviews

"...Elmore Leonard's deliciously profane dialogue gives a great cast, led by John Travolta, a feast to dine upon....GET SHORTY gets it wonderfully right..."
Rolling Stone
"...GET SHORTY is certainly entertaining..."
Sight and Sound
"...Sizzling supporting performances by Dennis Farina and Delroy Lindo....[Travolta] oozes cool without breaking a sweat..." -- 3 out of 4 stars
USA Today
"...All the elements finally jelled, goosed by a terrific John Travolta performance..." -- Rating: A-
Entertainment Weekly
"...GET SHORTY is good, sly fun. With John Travolta putting on a dazzling demonstration of what being a movie star is all about..."
Variety
"...The film does a good job with the book's gentle digs at the inane way the movie business tends to function..."
Los Angeles Times
"...A small jewel..."
Chicago Sun-Times
"[A] faithful adaptation of Elmore Leonard for a change....Memorable."
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