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John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, Danny DeVito, Dennis Farina ... see more see more... , Delroy Lindo , James Gandolfini , David Paymer , Bette Midler , Patrick Breen , Carlease Burke , John Cothran Jr. , Alfred Dennis , Martin Ferrero , Greg Goossen , David Groh , Linda Hart , Bernard Hocke , Ron Karabatsos , Harvey Keitel , Ralph Manza , Zach Phifer , Renee Props , Alex Rocco , Miguel Sandoval , Fred Scialla , Vito Scotti , Jeffrey J. Stephan , Jacob Vargas , Penny Marshall , Barry Sonnenfeld , Rebeca Arthur , Jack Conley , Jon Gries , Bobby Slayton

A gangster is looking to get away from crooked deals and double-crossing people but ends up in the movie business anyway in this comic crime story. Chili Palmer (John Travolta) is a Miami-based loan c... read more read more...ollector for the mob trying to collect a gambling debt. His assignment takes him to Hollywood to collect money from Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), a mildly sleazy producer of low-budget horror movies. Although Chili intends to hurt Harry if necessary, he takes a certain liking to him and an even keener interest in Karen (Rene Russo), Harry's girlfriend, whom Chili recognizes from Harry's grade-B monster epics. It seems Harry has a script that he feels is Academy Award material, and he could get the project off the ground if he could get the right actor for the lead -- say, the well-respected but egocentric (and diminutive) Martin Weir (Danny DeVito). Chili thinks he has a feel for the movie business and decides to see what he can do to persuade Weir to get behind the project. Chili soon finds himself hip deep in the film industry, which at least puts him in contact with a higher grade of scumbags than he's used to. But Chili isn't the only criminal Harry's been dealing with; he's been obtaining financing from Bo Catlett (Delroy Lindo), a drug dealer with a highly uncertain temperament. An intelligently constructed crime story and a hilarious look at the absurdities of the film business, Get Shorty was based on the novel of the same name by Elmore Leonard; Leonard based Chili on a real-life former gangster of his acquaintance, though Chili's model never worked in Hollywood. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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63% liked it

59,495 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

51 critics

R, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Barry Sonnenfeld

Release Date: October 20, 1995

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DVD Release Date: August 27, 1997

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Flixster Reviews (1,784)

  • moonrivers
    September 15, 2011
    moonrivers
    Miami gangster and film buff discovers Hollywood work is not that much different than work in the Mob, thank goodness. Travolta has fun playing a mobster who's playing a mobster ("... like inna movies!") who's dream is to play a movie mobster ("... like DeNiro or Pacino!") and H... read moreackman, playing against type, is perfect as a nice guy only acting the part of a sleezeball producer. Everyone in this movie ( like Jerry Lewis maybe) is the star, the writer, the director and the producer of their own mental movie (like here at Flixster!). The only guy in this movie who doesn't want to be in the movies gets whacked in the end, sort've divine retribution. My fav scene has Travolta teaching DeVito how to act tough like a mobster.
  • blkbomb
    July 9, 2011
    blkbomb
    Chili Palmer: Rough business, this movie business. I'm gonna have to go back to loan-sharking just to take a rest.

    After watching Get Shorty it seems like it should have been great. The story is there and the cast is there but it never seems to amount to anything above average.... read more I hated the first half of the movie. Then once Danny DeVito's character is introduced it starts to pick up. The cast is great except for one actor who I don't like at all and that would be Dennis Farina. For some reason he just annoys the hell out of me.

    The movie had a lot of potential, which is really annoying because the movie just wasn't that good. I have thee feeling I'm overrating this just because I really like Travolta and DeVito in this movie and I'm not a huge fan of either of them. As a comedy, Get Shorty really didn't work. There were no really funny parts or lines. It seems like every time gangsters get brought into comedy it turns out bad.
  • 3niR
    June 28, 2011
    3niR
    Liked the ending but the movie itself was not that entertaining.
  • ythelastman89
    June 1, 2011
    ythelastman89
    Get Shorty is probably the best example of a Gangster Comedy that I can think of. It has a great plot, interesting and bizarre characters, but mostly it does what it promises to do. This is a genuinely funny movie that showcases its amazing cast of John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Re... read morene Russo and others. Chili Palmer is basically the stereotype for a slick Shylock, but he knows it and uses it to the advantage of audience. This is a movie that knows it's a movie, but still lets you have a very sustainable story about the entertainment business. There's some really odd moments, but they're purposefully done. Barry Sonnenfeld's idea here was to play around with Elmore Leonard's book and apply it to his unique sense of style. Now a lot of people call this a Tarantino knock-off, but chances are they have no idea what they're talking about. This is based off a work by the same writer as Jackie Brown, so that should be the only justifiable sense of deja vu. Get Shorty mostly finds its comedy in the fact that some of these characters try so hard to be intimidating or scary, but just come off as idiots. A lot of this is accomplished through the acting; John Travolta's great performance is seen through his ability to hit every joke and every character moment just right. Gene Hackman with his fake teeth and nutty getup makes him incredibly goofy, but in the best way possible. Now I think it takes some time to really understand what's going on in Get Shorty, especially due to its genre-bending quality. Given the chance, it's really fun and one of those movies that I can go back to over and over again and still find a lot to love.
  • shawnewing92
    March 14, 2011
    shawnewing92
    I found this movie to be lacking in all aspects. Sure the acting was decent but it's still a boring film to be watched once, then never again.
  • lewiskendell
    March 4, 2010
    lewiskendell
    Am I missing something? Get Shorty seems like a Tarantino rip-off in almost every way. The characters (though not as good). the music (though not NEARLY as good), The actors. The story (though not even close to being as good). The dialogue (again, nowhere as good). It's all the p... read moreoor man's version of a Tarantino movie.

    I went from outright hating Get Shorty, to semi-liking it by the end, so I guess that's a good thing. Still, it didn't impress me in the slightest. Yawn. It simply wasn't close to being as clever as it aspired to be.
  • fb619846742
    January 19, 2010
    fb619846742
    A cleverly put together satirical take on the film industry as well as an entertaining and involving story concerning a loan shark (Travolta) who is assigned to track down a dry cleaner owner (Paymer) after he cons the IRS for 300,000 after faking his own death. Although it feels... read more a little convoluted at times, the acting is simply outstanding, with a knockout performance from John Travolta. You have to pay attention to every little detail, if you miss one line of dialogue you could be in trouble, since this is a very intricately put together story that is overall wonderfully executed. It's basically a better version of "Bowfinger", with even better acting and a smarter script.
  • SirPant
    September 24, 2009
    SirPant
    A film so far up its own arse that it can't even smell its own crap!
  • aliceinpunderland
    July 7, 2009
    aliceinpunderland
    A lot of mediocre twists and turns to get to a decent ending. Elmore Leonard's stories just don't appeal to me; they seem a little too cooked.
  • cosmo313
    June 17, 2009
    cosmo313
    Great dialogue and good acting (from a talented cast) are the highlights in this, Barry Sonnenfeld's funny and entertaining adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel about the Hollywood process and the cool as hell loanshark trying to get into the game. I don't think it was one of the... read more best of 1995, but it's still worth watching nonetheless.

View All Get Shorty Reviews

Critic Reviews

David Ansen
May 7, 2008
David Ansen, Newsweek

Hollywood has been in love with mobsters since the beginning of movies. But the other side of the equation has seldom been considered. That is, until now. Full Review

Variety Staff
May 7, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

A drolly offbeat look at Hollywood mores dedicated to the proposition that the best preparation for becoming a film producer is a stint in the criminal underworld. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
May 7, 2008
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

An entertaining comedy-thriller adapted by Scott Frank from the Elmore Leonard best-seller and directed with bounce (if not much nuance) by Barry Sonnenfeld. Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

It's part of the joke here that Chili is a die-hard cineaste and loves reminiscing about smart, stylish tough-guy films he has enjoyed. Get Shorty belongs on that list. Full Review

Edward Guthmann
June 18, 2002
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

It's Travolta -- smooth, commanding, handsome as ever, a cool, rhythmic bop in his walk -- who owns the film. Full Review

Peter Travers
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

The result is one of the best movies of the year and by far the most entertaining.

Kenneth Turan
February 13, 2001
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

In the category of amiable diversions it's awfully tough to improve on. Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

Irresistibly charming. Full Review

January 1, 2000
USA Today

Minor, but amusingly droll.

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

One of the pleasures of Get Shorty is watching the way the plot moves effortlessly from crime to the movies - not a long distance, since both industries are based on fear, greed, creativity and intimi... Full Review

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  • Which actor has starred in all of the following:- - Saturday Night Fever - Get Shorty - The Thin Red Line - Swordfish - Basic  Answer »
  • What movie does the hero, played by a x T-Bird, begin to think about being a movie producer after he is through with his loan shark business.   Answer »
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  • Be Cool is the sequel to which film?  Answer »
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