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"It's a rough business this movie business. I might have to go back to loan-sharking just to take a rest." So says Get Shorty's Chili Palmer, a Miami hood-turned-film producer who discovers that the gears of the mob business and the movie business are both oiled with fear, intimidation, insecurity, and ego. So much so that Chili is able to find a script and attach an Oscar nominated star within 48 hours of arriving in Los Angeles.
What brings Palmer to Los Angeles is complicated, stopping just short of confusion. The plot is set in motion when $300,000 is stolen in a life insurance scam by a dry cleaner (David Paymer) who supposedly died in a plane crash. Entrusted to find the money, Chili winds up in Las Vegas. In Sin City, he's sent on another mission, to retrieve money from Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), a B-movie producer who, like most 60-something movie producers, is trying to stay young and hip by wearing turtlenecks and false front teeth. Chili eventually pitches Harry a movie idea based on the saga of the dry cleaner. Harry is intrigued by Chili's authenticity, while Chili, a major movie buff, starts dreaming of producing movies.
Get Shorty works for the two reasons that most movies work: the script and the performances. Scott Frank adapted the Elmore Leonard novel, but at first, the talented Frank was a hindrance. In a story that may be apocryphal, but is worth telling anyway, Travolta was not pleased with Frank's draft, since Frank rewrote all of Leonard's wickedly clever dialogue. Travolta demanded he go back and lift whatever lines he could from the novel, word-for-word, and put them in the script. With those changes rightfully made, Travolta was on board. The film is chock-a-block with terrific performances, with Travolta first in line. Harry is trying to acquire the rights to a brilliant script that would take him out of the no-budget world. The screenwriter's widow is played, in an unbilled cameo, by Bette Midler. Harry and Chili approach two-time Oscar nominated thespian Martin Weir to star. Weir is played by Danny DeVito. DeVito was originally supposed to play the Chili Palmer role, but scheduling conflicts threw it into Travolta's lap.
Director Barry Sonnenfeld, who began as a cinematographer shooting three Coen Brothers films, moves the camera with verve and a sense of good-natured fun. Much of the humor comes from how easily Chili infiltrates the movie world, with his smooth talking street smarts. Hollywood types think they're so smart, but Chili can bring 'em down a peg while simultaneously taking dramatic drags on his cigarette. At one point, Chili's criminal rival, played by Delroy Lindo, opines that writing a movie script involves typing stuff, then correcting the spelling errors, then writing "fade out" at the end. Sometimes, you begin to wonder if he's right.
Of course, every hard-boiled story needs a dame. Get Shorty has Rene Russo, who plays Karen, a B-movie actress whose claim to fame is her horror movie scream. It should come as no surprise that Karen starts the movie with Harry, but ends the movie with Chili. Maybe that's because in a town where everyone wants to be somebody else, Chili Palmer knows exactly who he is.
The Video: How Does The Disc Look?
This 1.85:1, anamorphic transfer is fine, but I can't help registering my disappointment. Created from a new high-definition master, the transfer features muddy and occasionally pixilated blacks. Shadow detail is consistent, but there's a subtle murkiness to some of the shots, making low-lit interiors only of average quality. I found one or two scenes that were so soft that I wondered if the shots were simply out of focus. Edge halos come into play on occasion. Overall, though, it's not that dire. The color palette is wide and warm. Saturation is full. Loud suits are rendered quite well, with reds and oranges that never tear. Flesh tones are perfect. There's not a lot of grain, and the print lacks any visible damage. Still, for a big-time re-release, I wanted more.
The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
There are two 5.1 tracks on this DVD, one in Dolby Digital and the other in DTS. However, considering the mild aural ambitions of the movie, there was really no use in including both. The DTS takes the red ribbon for being a bit more dynamic and bass-heavy, but this is hardly the movie to justify buying a DTS decoder. The whole of the film is center-speaker dependant. The sides come into play for some sound effects, but the surrounds are hardly used at all. The dynamic range is not wide, nor was it meant to be, since Get Shorty is a dialogue-heavy comedy. The mix is well-balanced, with clear dialogue and no audio anomalies. The funky music doesn't have much punch, but is consistent with the rest of the mix. Not much going on, but what's going on is fine.
Also included are French 5.1 and a Spanish Surround tracks. English, Spanish, and French subtitles round it out.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
The entire second disc is dedicated to the supplements. I found them to be enjoyable and worth watching. There's some information repeated from one supplement to another, but besides that, the extras are comprehensive and fun.
Look at Me is a making-of documentary that charts the film's progress from page to screen (which happens to be the title of another extra on the disc). Elmore Leonard says that of his forty books, 33 have been optioned (obviously not all 33 were made into films), but all subsequent adaptations emphasized plot over dialogue. Get Shorty was the only movie to flip those priorities and get it right. Danny DeVito was originally signed to play Chili Palmer, but had to beg off because he was prepping to direct the film Matilda. Gene Hackman didn't want the part of Harry because he claimed he doesn't do comedies. Director Sonnenfeld told Hackman that playing the role seriously would be the funniest way to do it. There are plenty of new and vintage interviews in this 27-minute production as well as stills and behind-the-scenes footage.
Wiseguys and Dolls gives props to some of the movie's supporting characters, specifically Rene Russo, Delroy Lindo, and Dennis Farina. Sonnenfeld calls the Karen Flores character, "the audience's way in to the movie," the one character not out of his or her mind. A 1995 interview with Russo is included, as well as new interviews with Sonnenfeld and screenwriter Scott Frank. Delroy Lindo found it a challenge to read his dialogue so quickly, which is how Sonnenfeld wanted the lines read. An old interview with Dennis Farina is not that interesting. Farina delves into the character, and how Ray Barboni was funny because he wasn't trying to be funny. Towards the end, Sonnenfeld discusses Ray Gandolfini, who played Delroy Lindo's muscle. According to Sonnenfeld, Gandolfini wanted to play his role with a North Carolina accent. Sonnenfeld was against it, but then relented. With so much of the film dedicated to Elmore Leonard and John Travolta, it's nice to see some of the supporting players acknowledged.
The Graveyard Scene is the only deleted scene included on the DVD. It involves Chili visiting a graveyard, where Ben Stiller is helming one of Harry Zimm's crap horror movies. There are a couple of brief, vintage soundbites of Stiller explaining his role. During a new interview with Sonnenfeld, he explains that MGM wanted the graveyard scene put back in because it's so funny. But test audiences didn't agree and the scene was taken out. Next is the actual graveyard scene, played out in its entirety. It's a great piece of Get Shorty arcana, but it really does not deserve inclusion in the final cut. The video is a bit worn and murky, but is still very acceptable.
Going Again is about the scene where Chili and Karen visit Martin Weir's palatial mansion. According to Barry Sonnenfeld, they kept the cameras rolling without calling "cut," while Danny DeVito endlessly riffed his dialogue. And to prove it, there are lengthy chunks of uninterrupted dialogue as DeVito fiddles around. It's a fun little filmmaking sidebar.
Get Shorty Party Reel is a collection of outtakes and behind-the-scenes odds and ends. The full-screen picture is pretty worn and old looking, but considering the content, it's a forgivable flaw. The first half is only music, mixed with random shots of the actors on set. The second half is a straight outtake reel. The whole thing runs about six minutes.
There is an 8-minute Be Cool Sneak Peek, the long awaited sequel to Get Shorty (and the reason this two-DVD Get Shorty Special Edition exists). There's gobs of behind-the-scenes footage, which makes it kinda fun to watch. The full screen picture is clean as a whistle.
Page to Screen: Get Shorty is a half-hour special that aired on Bravo in 2002. Since it's a pre-existing program, it's much better than the usual EPK crap and a little better than Look at Me, the other making-of-documentary on the disc. Hosted by Peter Gallagher (The OC), the piece includes interviews with noted author Martin Amis and someone who claims to be Elmore Leonard's researcher. Leonard himself is interviewed, along with Travolta, Quentin Tarantino (who convinced Travolta to take the role), and the real Chili Palmer, a numbers runner from Coney Island who became a Miami loan shark. There are plenty of great stills and behind-the-scenes footage. Yes, Page to Screen is recycled, and some of the information is repeated in other supplements, but it's good stuff.
There is a photo gallery that includes about 45 pictures. A vast majority of them pass the DVD Photo Gallery Test, which means the picture includes at least one behind-the-scenes element and isn't just a bunch of stills from the movie.
Rounding out the extras are a bunch of trailers, including the original preview for Get Shorty.
Disc One does have one extra, an audio commentary by director Barry Sonnenfeld. In interviews, Sonnenfeld is very New York Jewish, which is fun to watch. And this audio commentary is fun to listen to. Sonnenfeld remembers a lot about the production and relates all of it in comfortable, amiable style. He begins by pointing out that all the Miami scenes were shot in Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, and Venice, California. Then he delves into casting, camerawork, editing, music, and other production issues. Overall, there's a lot of gossip and fun tidbits thrown around. The commentary is old, probably done for the laserdisc. One tip-off was when Sonnenfeld mentioned the movie Delroy Lindo was shooting when the commentary was recorded... the Mel Gibson thriller, Ransom.
Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?
There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD.
Easter Eggs
In the photo gallery menu, if you click up, you'll reveal a locker key. Press enter and be taken to four sound bites from Barry Sonnenfeld and Danny DeVito, both of whom are very congenial and humorous storytellers.
Final Thoughts
Get Shorty is hard-boiled and light-hearted, brimming with great dialogue, some lifted word-for-word from the Elmore Leonard book. John Travolta cemented his return from the dead with a clean, direct, and enjoyable performance, while cinematographer-turned-director Barry Sonnenfeld proved himself a pop stylist par excellence. I expected more from the transfer, which turned out to be just good, but the extras are comprehensive and fun. It took many years and millions of feet of exposed film, but someone finally did Elmore Leonard right. Recommended.
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