Be Cool

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Be Cool

PG-13

2005

1h 59m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

29%

Tomatometer

167 Reviews

42%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Having made the transition from gangster to movie producer, Chili Palmer (John Travolta) is ready for the next big move. Setting his sights on the music industry, Palmer enters a precarious business that has more than just temperamental musicians: Russian mobsters, rival producers and hit men are out to bring him down. From witnessing the murder of his friend (James Woods) to romancing a music executive's widow (Uma Thurman), it seems as though it might all fall apart, but Palmer has his ways.

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Critics Consensus

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

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Sep 30, 2010

3/5

Watered-down sequel isn't meant for kids.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Apr 6, 2010

I was really glad when it was over.

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Richard Roeper

Ebert & Roeper

Mar 7, 2005

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

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Micheal Compton

Bowling Green Daily News

Nov 18, 2019

Boasting a smorgasbord of Hollywood talent, Be Cool is a rather tepid comedy with just enough charm to be passable.

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James Plath

Movie Metropolis

Feb 11, 2012

7/10

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

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Joshua Starnes

ComingSoon.net

Jan 7, 2011

5/10

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.

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Ryan C

@RT52403592 Jul 25, 2026

The movie is an exercise in cinematic vanity. It’s preoccupied with projecting coolness, style, celebrity, and confidence. Everything is polished, choreographed, and self-aware, yet very little feels discovered in the moment. It wants to satirize Hollywood’s obsession with image, but becomes so enamored with image itself that it ends up embodying the very culture it’s trying to critique.

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Evan T

@RT47486021 Nov 27, 2025

Turned it off when dude was chewing with his mouth open and wads of food clearly visible. I liked get shorty alright, maybe a 3.5 star movie outta 5 for me, nothing crazy but watchable. Be cool was annoying from the start. But that scene was all it took for me, gross

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Chris K

@RT22179269 Sep 28, 2025

If you take this movie for what it's meant to be it's a 10/10. Epically cast and the right balance of humour and thuggery.

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Brian G

@RT18323792 Sep 23, 2025

Excellent! It achieves just the right balance of sharp-edged comedy with thuggish violence. Every one of the actors is perfectly well cast, particularly Vince Vaughan, Harvey Keitel, The Rock, and Uma Thurman.

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Corey J

@FilmGuyCorey Sep 18, 2025

Despite a lot of critiques I love this movie. It's hilarious with over-the-top performances from Vince Vaughn, the Rock, Andre 3000 along with quality performances out of John Travolta, Cedric the Entertainer, Uma Thurman, and Harvey Keitel. It's just a lot of fun with constant laughs.

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Pedro Henrique C

@Pedro2005 Aug 11, 2025

Be Cool (2005) It's a film that has its ups and downs, the story has several elements that make it very confusing to follow. The cast is a great asset to this adventure.

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F. Gary Gray

Director

John Travolta

Chili Palmer

Uma Thurman

Edie Athens

Vince Vaughn

Raji

Cedric the Entertainer

Sinclair "Sin" Russell

André Benjamin

Dabu

Be Cool: Official Clip - Plus the Vig

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Be Cool: Official Clip - The Raised Eyebrow Look

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Be Cool: Official Clip - Raji At Bat

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Be Cool: Official Clip - Pawnshop Punch-Out

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Be Cool: Official Clip - Raji on Fire

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Be Cool: Official Clip - Racial Epithets

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Be Cool: Official Clip - That's Not Gangsta

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Be Cool: Official Clip - Bring It On Monologue

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Be Cool: Official Clip - Sin's Spatula

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Be Cool: Official Clip - The "F" Word Once

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Synopsis

Having made the transition from gangster to movie producer, Chili Palmer (John Travolta) is ready for the next big move. Setting his sights on the music industry, Palmer enters a precarious business that has more than just temperamental musicians: Russian mobsters, rival producers and hit men are out to bring him down. From witnessing the murder of his friend (James Woods) to romancing a music executive's widow (Uma Thurman), it seems as though it might all fall apart, but Palmer has his ways.

Director: F. Gary Gray
Producer: Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher, David Nicksay
Screenwriter: Peter Steinfeld, Elmore Leonard
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Jersey Films, Double Feature Films, Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Rating: PG-13 (Sensuality|Language|Sexual References|Violence)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 4, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 20, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $55.8M
Runtime: 1h 59m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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