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Premiere
May 2004
BE COOL: FIRST LOOK
John Travolta returns as Chili Palmer in Be Cool
By Andrew John Ignatius Vontz
“You can’t have [a movie about] hip-hop without having fly rides,” a Nike-clad F. Gary Gray says as he surveys a traffic jam of his making on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles. “I did the Mini Coopers in The Italian Job. Now I have Cadillacs and Hummers with spinnin’ rims.”
In today’s scene, a Russian mobster (Brian Christensen) leaps out of a 1967 Ford T-Bird to confront former gangster Chili Palmer (John Travolta) and gun down Palmer’s pal, Tommy (James Woods). “Bang! Bang!” Christensen yells, aiming a pistol at Woods, who promptly crumples onto a café table, knocking over his iced tea. Between takes, a grip uses a high-powered hairdryer to evaporate the murky liquid, while Woods examines his vintage Sergio Valente jeans on the sidelines. “I’ve spilled a lot of iced teas today, but I never got the jeans wet,” he says, proudly. “I’d never fucking own these, okay?”
In 1995’s Get Shorty, Palmer went from hard-hitting loan shark to hit-making film producer. In this sequel, also adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel, he learns an even dirtier business: the music industry. “Chili is cooler than me for sure,” says Travolta, dressed to match his black tricked-out Escalade. “He’s the street James Bond.”
Uma Thurman plays Chili’s love interest, a widow managing her late husband’s record business. Though the Pulp Ficton duo won’t be twisting again, Travolta has a Latin dance scene in the movie, which features Andre 3000 as a rapper and the Rock as a gay bodyguard.
Says Woods, “John’s a black guy in a white guy’s body. He’s got the moves, but so do I. We were actually jitterbugging yesterday, and he was following, doing kick ball changes.”
Traffic rolling again, Travolta and producer Stacey Sher discuss whether Palmer should drop an F-bomb in the next scene. Sher then confirms that RZA from Wu-Tang Clan has sent the T-shirt Thurman requested. The day is winding down, but an important question remains: Can Travolta take Andre 3000 on the dance floor? “Maybe, maybe not,” Travolta says, hedging his bets like any good loan shark.
Welcome back, Palmer. |
