Opening

75% World War Z Jun 21
80% Monsters University Jun 21
62% The Bling Ring Jun 21
58% Maniac Jun 21
100% A Hijacking Jun 21
66% Unfinished Song Jun 21
100% The Attack Jun 21
—— The Haunting of Helena Jun 21

Top Box Office

56% Man of Steel $116.6M
85% This Is the End $20.7M
50% Now You See Me $11.0M
71% Fast & Furious 6 $9.6M
38% The Purge $8.3M
34% The Internship $7.1M
62% Epic $6.3M
87% Star Trek Into Darkness $6.3M
11% After Earth $4.1M
78% Iron Man 3 $3.0M

Coming Soon

—— How To Make Money Selling Drugs Jun 26
—— White House Down Jun 28
—— The Heat Jun 28
56% I'm So Excited! Jun 28

Be Cool (2005)

tomatometer

30

Average Rating: 4.6/10
Reviews Counted: 169
Fresh: 50 | Rotten: 119

Be Cool is tepid, square, and lukewarm; as a parody of the music business, it has two left feet.

15

Average Rating: 4.2/10
Critic Reviews: 40
Fresh: 6 | Rotten: 34

Be Cool is tepid, square, and lukewarm; as a parody of the music business, it has two left feet.

audience

48

liked it
Average Rating: 2.8/5
User Ratings: 196,167

My Rating

Movie Info

Underworld hipster Chili Palmer is back in the entertainment business in this sequel to the 1995 hit Get Shorty, which like the first film is based on a novel by Elmore Leonard. Gangster-turned-movie producer Chili (once again played by John Travolta) has grown tired of the screen trade, especially after his latest project turned out to be a box-office flop. Chili is looking for new horizons and thinks he may have found his niche when his close friend Tommy Athens (James Woods), a fellow mobster

PG-13,

Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy

Peter Steinfeld

Jun 7, 2005

$55.6M

MGM/UA - Official Site External Icon

Watch It Now

Cast

ADVERTISEMENT

All Critics (180) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (50) | Rotten (119) | DVD (29)

I was really glad when it was over.

April 6, 2010 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

One of the cuddliest, cutest movies you'll ever see about mobsters and murderers.

March 7, 2005 Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic IconTop Critic

You know a sequel isn't working when, ten minutes into the movie, a voice inside your head starts screaming, 'Please make it stop!'

March 7, 2005
Rolling Stone
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Be Cool lacks both a focus and an edge, making it an amorphous mess.

March 5, 2005 Full Review Source: ReelViews
ReelViews
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The movie feels more like a cavalcade of personalities than anything resembling a story.

March 5, 2005 Full Review Source: Salon.com
Salon.com
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's kind of -- hmmmm, less than good, a little better than not bad, almost all right, mediocre without being grating, sort of in the C-minus-to-C-minus-minus range.

March 4, 2005 Full Review Source: Washington Post
Washington Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Be Cool isn't the biting satire that Get Shorty was. It's lighter, hipper, and, yes, more fun.

February 11, 2012 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis
Movie Metropolis

Be Cool sounds like it should be good, or at least entertaining, but it's neither. It does have some genuinely fun moments, but lacks a strong narrative to hang them off of. The result is empty, full of contrivances, and ultimately unsatisfying.

January 7, 2011 Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net
ComingSoon.net

Watered-down sequel isn't meant for kids.

September 30, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media

Self-mocking jokes prevail in F. Gary Gray's feisty cinematic version of Elmore Leonard's irreverent Los Angeles based novel.

April 18, 2009 Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com
ColeSmithey.com

click to read review [Greek]

September 10, 2006 Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses
Movies for the Masses

The characters are still engaging, but the story is a mess this time around.

June 8, 2005 Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope
Laramie Movie Scope

Nothing here feels authentic--not the occasionally funny thugs or the supposed 'street cred' vibe that hits like a thud.

June 7, 2005 Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah)
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

Less like a story than an assemblage of moments and top-notch character acting, but as far as cinematic trifles go, it's guilt-free.

May 10, 2005 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com
TheMovieReport.com

There's some fun to be had here, but measured against Get Shorty, the movie doesn't fare so well.

May 6, 2005 Full Review

The whole film is a great piece of eye candy with many LA sites and a lot of music and action.

April 14, 2005 Full Review Source: Entertainment Spectrum
Entertainment Spectrum

...attempts to look effortless in seeming hip, but the wink-wink, nudge-nudge jokes about sequels, Hollywood, and the music world come off as familiar and self-congratulatory.

April 13, 2005 Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

A half-hearted, loosey-goosey sequel so floppy and laid-back that it just sort of lounges on a sun chair and soaks up the audience's good intentions.

April 10, 2005 Full Review Source: Fresno Bee
Fresno Bee

Funny and smart, nicely crafted without being overly artsy, and quirky but approachable. If only every sequel were this much fun.

April 8, 2005

Entretenida, obligada a quienes gustaron de las primeras aventuras de Chili Palmer, y con un soundtrack que sacará a más de uno a la pista de baile.

April 7, 2005 Full Review Source: Cinenganos
Cinenganos

Get 'Shorty out of your head for a couple of goofy, irreverent hours and there's a good chance you'll enjoy this inferior yet amiable sequel.

April 6, 2005 Full Review Source: Movie Boeuf
Movie Boeuf

too amiably daft to be truly biting.

April 2, 2005 Full Review Source: Movie Gazette

Thurman looks desperately uncomfortable throughout the entire film, Keitel fails to make any real impact and the less said about Vince Vaughn's desperate mugging as a wannabe gangsta, the better.

April 2, 2005 Full Review Source: ViewLondon
ViewLondon

Here's hoping the cast of Be Cool can pick up their careers after the release of this film.

March 27, 2005 Full Review Source: FilmFocus

Despite some dead spots, it's still a fun, and very funny, ride.

March 24, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Journal International
Film Journal International

Audience Reviews for Be Cool

22/07/2012 (DVD)
July 22, 2012
EightThirty

Super Reviewer

I dont remember a whole lot but I remember thinking, "What the hell is the movie even about?" The commercials boasted an all-star cast but that is all that it delivered. One forgettable, dry, and pretentious movie.
November 25, 2011
Albert Kim

Super Reviewer

No quotes approved yet for Be Cool. Logged in users can submit quotes.

Discussion Forum

There are no discussion threads for Be Cool yet.

What's Hot On RT

Total Recall
Total Recall

John Goodman's Best Movies

Blue Jasmine
Blue Jasmine

Woody Allen in San Francisco

Diana Trailer
Diana Trailer

Naomi Watts stars as Princess Di

24 Frames
24 Frames

Pictures from a zombie nation

Latest News on Be Cool

June 26, 2007:
Travolta On the Fence About "Wild Hogs 2"
Everyone was shocked when "Wild Hogs" became one of the biggest hits of all four stars'...
March 5, 2007:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Audiences Ride with Wild Hogs at #1
Moviegoers rallied behind the star-driven comedy "Wild Hogs," which raced to number one at...
March 1, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: "Wild Hogs" Aims to Run Over "Ghost Rider"
One super hero on a motorcycle looks to get replaced by four middle-aged bikers at the number one...
Help | About | Jobs | Critics Submission | API | Licensing | Mobile