Be Cool | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

Table of Contents

Where to Watch Be Cool What to Know Critics Reviews Audience Reviews My Rating Cast & Crew Movie Clips Be Cool More Like This Related Movie News Photos Be Cool

30%

Tomatometer

170 Reviews

42%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Having made the transition from gangster to movie producer, Chili Palmer (John Travolta) is ready for the next big move. Setting his sights on the music industry, Palmer enters a precarious business that has more than just temperamental musicians: Russian mobsters, rival producers and hit men are out to bring him down. From witnessing the murder of his friend (James Woods) to romancing a music executive's widow (Uma Thurman), it seems as though it might all fall apart, but Palmer has his ways.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Where to Watch

Be Cool

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Be Cool is tepid, square, and lukewarm; as a parody of the music business, it has two left feet.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (170) Critics Reviews

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Watered-down sequel isn't meant for kids.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 30, 2010

Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

I was really glad when it was over.

Apr 6, 2010

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 2/5

Apr 1, 2006

Full Review

Micheal Compton

Bowling Green Daily News

Boasting a smorgasbord of Hollywood talent, Be Cool is a rather tepid comedy with just enough charm to be passable.

Nov 18, 2019

Full Review

James Plath

Movie Metropolis

Be Cool isn't the biting satire that Get Shorty was. It's lighter, hipper, and, yes, more fun.

Rated: 7/10

Feb 11, 2012

Full Review

Joshua Starnes

ComingSoon.net

Be Cool sounds like it should be good, or at least entertaining, but it's neither. It does have some genuinely fun moments, but lacks a strong narrative to hang them off of. The result is empty, full of contrivances, and ultimately unsatisfying.

Rated: 5/10

Jan 7, 2011

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews

Kevan G I loved it when I was 12. The Rocks best movie yet...... Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/11/24 Full Review alan g Faux gangstas, John Travolta trying to be cool. Cedric the non entertainer trying to be a music mogul. Nothing works. Stick to the first film, "Get Shorty". Rated 1.5/5 Stars • Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 04/12/24 Full Review Kevin M Read Elmore Leonard's book. This is a poor adaptation Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/19/24 Full Review Bojank R Classic cast, problematic at times, but Travolta is playing a hip-hop connoisseur named ‘Chili'. Phile Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/16/23 Full Review Tony S Great cast, but this sequel to Get Shorty is not Godfather II or Rocky II. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/24 Full Review Brent C The plot of this movie is secondary to watching and enjoying it. If you've had a wild night out, this movie is an ideal choice to watch the following day while all floppy and recovering. There is plenty of gratuitous violence, etc. but it's really a kind of sweet, good-hearted film at its core. It also reunites John Travolta and Uma Thurman on the dance floor, to the music of Sergio Mendes and the Black Eyed Peas. It's as 2005 as it gets and in this case, that is a good thing. Practically every scene features a prominent film star or musician, akin to the original Casino Royale - but actually fun and entertaining to watch throughout. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Be Cool

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

F. Gary Gray Director John Travolta Chili Palmer Uma Thurman Edie Athens Vince Vaughn Raji Cedric the Entertainer Sinclair "Sin" Russell André Benjamin Dabu

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Movie Clips

View All videos

Be Cool

Be Cool: Official Clip - Plus the Vig