Chili Palmer (John Travolta), the mobster who
infiltrated the movie business in Get Shorty (1995), has moved on to the music industry in the sequel, Be Cool (2005), Palmer is the
epitome of cool, and he seems right at home with the various thugs and
lunatics he encounters as he works to further the career of a hot new
singer (Christina Milian). Be Cool works better in moments than it does as a whole. The
supporting cast (which includes Uma Thurman, Cedric the Entertainer, Harvey
Keitel, James Woods, and Danny DeVito) is outstanding, but they lose out to
three scene-stealers. Vince Vaughn, playing an obnoxious record producer
who acts like a pimp; the Rock, portraying his gay bodyguard; and
André Benjamin (better known as André 3000 of Outkast),
playing a klutzy gangsta rapper, help lift this film above its overrated
predecessor. The wholesome nature of Milian’s character, which is
surprising after her sexually suggestive hit “Dip It Low,”
softens the film when it needed a harder edge. The sluggish pacing prevents
it from catching fire, but the cast is still a joy to watch.
Backstage stories about the music business are usually
riddled with clichés, and Glitter (2001) manages to find every one that Be Cool avoided. The best thing you
can say about Mariah Carey’s starring debut is she doesn’t
embarrass herself. Her character is such an empty vessel and the storyline
is so ordinary that I had to write this down before I forgot that I saw the
film. Prey for Rock & Roll (2003) is something I did after Mariah Carey’s
music nearly put me to sleep, but it’s also the title of an obscure
film featuring Gina Gershon as the aging leader of a struggling all-girl
punk band. The environment and especially the music are surprisingly
authentic, thanks to the contributions of screenwriter and
composer/musician Cheri Lovedog, who fronted a punk band for several years.
Have you noticed that failure creates more interesting drama than success
does?
Failure is also the central theme of my favorite
fictional film about a rock band. Garage Days (2002) is Alex Proyas’ semiautobiographical film
about the life and times of an unsuccessful Australian garage band, and the
visual style is as flashy and quirky as that of his better-known
science-fiction films (Dark City, I, Robot). Sex, drugs, and rock & roll are front and center, but the
presentation of the band’s music is unique. This potential cult
classic is just gathering dust at local video stores because no one has
heard of it. Now you have.
DVDs scheduled for release Tuesday (Aug. 2): Alexander, Guess Who, and Downfall.
This article appears in Jul 28 – Aug 3, 2005.
