Review of Get Shorty (1995) by Benjamin G — 02 May 2010

Peopled with a large cast of fascinating characters, Get Shorty is a sharp, funny look at the not-so-separate worlds of crime and Hollywood. Director Barry Sonnenfeld and writer Scott A. Frank capture the intricate plotting and masterful dialogue of Elmore Leonard's novel; as Chili, the gangster itching to get into the movie business, John Travolta follows up on the relaxed charm he exuded in his previous film, the career-reviving Pulp Fiction (1994).

Though other movies have taken satirical stabs at the entertainment world, few have so gleefully portrayed the corrupting nature of the industry's promises of fame and fortune. Shorty is not a dark, nightmarish vision of Hollywood like The Player (1992) or The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), but a comic exaggeration of the appetites and personalities on display in the real thing.