Challenger

Yet another movie unrightfully scorned by critics, Be Cool exceeded my expectations, proving to be a refreshing comedy with plenty of action. The humor mocked modern day pop culture, including having a white man convinced he is ‘gangsta’, who has a gay body guard. As for the action, several people are killed in mob hits which either have gunmen with terrible aim or a gangster with an itchy trigger finger. It seemed like a watered down Pulp Fiction, with a background from Get Shorty, add in a little bit of Coyote Ugly, and an episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

Chili Palmer (Travolta) is back, but he wants out of the capricious movie business. When approached by an old friend, Tommy (who is eventually killed after a Russian mobster wastes an entire clip on the café) Chili decides to try out the music business. At the request if his dead friend, Chili goes to a bar to recruit Linda Moon , an up and coming singer who’s slightly abusive manager Raji (Vince Vaughn), a white boy with an identity crisis and a body guard who is less then straight (played all too well by the Rock), won’t release her from her contract. Linda soon leaves with Chili to go to sing under the now dead Tommy’s record label. With the help of Tommy’s wife Edie (Thurman), the co-owner, Chili helps Linda score an album. Raji and his boss Nick Carr (Keitel) are furious, and immediately send out a hit man to off Chili and get Linda back.

Unbeknownst to Chili and Edie, Tommy owed money to Sin LaSalle, a hip-hop megastar with a posse that has a thirst for whipping out their custom handguns. When Sin demands his money, Chili’s casual behavior upsets him, adding another group on the list of those out to kill the former shylock. Chili now has to juggle surviving hit men sent by three different organizations, romancing Edie, making Linda a starlet, and getting Raji’s gay bodyguard a movie audition.

I can see how some critics disliked the movie, but it could be possible they watched the movie expecting too much. The actors did a great job, Travolta and Thurman refreshing the chemistry from Pulp Fiction all over again. There were moments when you couldn’t even hear the movie for all the laughing.