Film Review: Get Shorty (1995)

While the influence of Pulp Fiction is most visible in the work of low-budget independent filmmakers, Hollywood big studios also tried to cash in on the hype created by Tarantino's masterpiece. One such title is Get Shorty, a 1995 satirical comedy directed by Barry Sonnenfeld.

The plot of the film, based on the 1990 novel by Elmore Leonard, follows Chili Palmer (played by John Travolta), a debt collector employed by the Miami mafia. During a job in Las Vegas, he is hired by the locals to track and collect a debt from Harry Zimm (played by Gene Hackman), a Hollywood producer of low-budget movies. Chili finds Zimm but, influenced by Hollywood glamour, decides to get into the movie-making business. He pitches a script idea to Zimm and later uses his gangster skills to muscle and con a variety of Hollywood individuals into the project.

Few films looked as promising as Get Shorty, especially for viewers still under the deep impression of Pulp Fiction. At first sight, the two films had a lot in common – both belonged to the genre of black comedy, the script was based on a novel by an author often associated with Tarantino, and the protagonist was played by John Travolta, the actor whose career was relaunched by his memorable performance in Pulp Fiction. Unfortunately, as is often the case, high expectations only led to huge disappointment.

The main problem of the film lies in its major plot theme - the idea that success in Hollywood requires the same Machiavellian skills as success in organized crime. This idea is indeed intriguing, but the screenwriter Scott Frank and director Barry Sonnenfeld simply refuse to lift it above "high concept". To make things worse, any satirical edge is lost in this film, which could be explained by Get Shorty being produced by a major studio apparently not willing to engage in Hollywood self-criticism. So, we are left with a lame and unconvincing combination of The Player and Pulp Fiction. Additionally, the film is stuffed with a multitude of characters, none of them particularly convincing or memorable, despite being played by usually competent character actors like Hackman, Danny DeVito, or Delroy Lindo. John Travolta as Chili Palmer tries to outdo the "coolness" of Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, but his efforts only invite comparisons between the two films, which ultimately make Get Shorty fall short. However, there are some bright moments and scenes that can make you laugh, but in the end, most of those who believed the hype would conclude that Get Shorty, while watchable, represents a huge disappointment.

RATING: 4/10 (+)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in the Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on September 27th, 2002)

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