Be Cool

John Travolta suggested Uma Thurman for the role of Edie, wanting to recreate the chemistry they had in Pulp Fiction (1994).

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This was Robert Pastorelli's last film. He died of an accidental drug overdose during production.

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This is the last film in which Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is credited as "The Rock." After this film he would be billed as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and would later drop "The Rock" in favor of just Dwayne Johnson. He is referred to as "The Rock" only in WWE productions.

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The same song plays in every scene featuring the Dub MDs in their car. They talk about their music not being played and listen carefully, and the lyrics of this song reference that.

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Elmore Leonard named Elliot Wilhelm (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) after the real-life film critic and Detroit Institute of Arts film curator Elliot Wilhelm (the real Wilhelm appears early in the film as a patron at the Viper Room, before the title sequence).

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James Woods was originally cast as Nick Carr but had to leave the cast because he was rushed into emergency surgery for an aneurysm. He was given the smaller role of Tommy Athens instead.

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Barry Sonnenfeld originally planned to return as director of this film, the sequel to Get Shorty (1995), but delays in the production and scheduling problems prevented it.

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The scenes of the NBA game with John Travolta and Uma Thurman were shot at the Staples Center on 26 February 2004, during a game between the Lakers and the Sacramento Kings. Although the film says the Lakers won the game, they lost 101-103.

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In the scene where Linda Moon (Christina Milian) performs with Aerosmith, the picture on Joe Perry's guitar is of his wife Billie, whom he married in 1985.

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In the scene where Elliot (Dwayne Johnson) chases Raji (Vince Vaughn) around the car, most of the scene was improvised. When Raji finally says "E. Weasy" and starts dancing, you can see Elliot smiling when the camera turns back to him.

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The decision to make this film PG-13 came just before filming. Director F. Gary Gray later said this change stripped the film of its originality, which partly led to results that were disappointing both critically and commercially.

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The notorious monologue delivered by Sin LaSalle (Cedric The Entertainer) was in neither the novel nor the early drafts of the screenplay. The idea came from director F. Gary Gray, who wanted Sin to be likable but also serious.

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The Aerosmith song "Sweet Emotion" is not about Steven Tyler's daughter Liv. The song dates from 1975 and Liv Tyler was born in 1977. "Sweet Emotion" took its name from bassist Tom Hamilton, who was known as "Mr. Sweet Emotion."

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Footage of a concert scene featuring Aerosmith and Christina Milian was shot on 24 June 2004 at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

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At one point in the film, Raj is called "Vanilla Ice." In hip-hop folklore, Suge Knight is said to have taken Vanilla Ice out onto a hotel balcony and dangled him by his ankles. Raj goes through the same scenario. In real life, however, Knight did take Vanilla Ice out onto the balcony and implied he would throw him off.

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Steven Tyler jokes that he is not the kind of rock star who appears in films. In fact, Steven had already appeared in several films at that point, usually as part of Aerosmith, including Wayne's World 2 (1993) and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978).

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Jennifer Connelly, Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts and Halle Berry were considered for the role of Edie Athens.

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Although the film departs clearly from the novel, there were some moments in the film that referenced the source novel: 1) Tiffany's exhausted photograph (later taken by Chili) references the fact that in the novel the Russians run an hour-long photo shop rather than a pawn shop. 2) The conflict between the Dub MDs and the Russians in Nick's office is a nod to the planned conflict between the two. Neither side appears in the second half of the novel. 3) When Raji tries to set Sin LaSalle against Nick, Raji deliberately writes Carr's surname as CAR. In the novel, Nick's full surname is Carcaterra.

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In the opening scene, Chili sees a poster for a film called 'Get Lost' and, nodding, says 'ah, sequels.' That film is the sequel to Get Shorty (1995).

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John Travolta and Uma Thurman dance as a tribute to their roles in Pulp Fiction (1994).

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When Sin LaSalle (Cedric The Entertainer) goes looking for Raji (Vince Vaughn) after the threatening 'prank' call, two numbers are visible in Sin's cell phone contacts. One is R. Lowenthal (Raji), and the other is G. Gray, a nod to director F. Gary Gray.

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The film features John Travolta's sister. Despite her appearing in many high-profile films and series away from her brother, this is one of the eight films they made together.

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Eric Balfour's role as Derek was cut from the film, though at least some of his scenes are included among the deleted scenes on the DVD.

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Harvey Keitel appeared in Get Shorty (1995), the predecessor to this film starring John Travolta, but the two never shared a scene together.

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At the end, the main characters are behind Linda Moon at her concert.

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Raji drives a white Lincoln Towncar with a maroon roof. The license plate reads "NIT2WNIT" (In It To Win It).

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The house in this film is the same house used as the home of the character Jimmy (Quentin Tarantino) in Pulp Fiction (1994). The house is located in the San Fernando Valley and was built in the 1930s. In this film, it is where Vincent (John Travolta) and Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) go to face the aftermath of a murder they committed.

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Brett Ratner was initially set to direct but dropped out.

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At one point a billboard advertising Tom Hanks in the film 'Mr. Lovejoy: A Harry Zimm Production' can be seen. This is a nod to Get Shorty, in which Zimm (Gene Hackman) tries to persuade Martin Weir (Danny DeVito) to star in the film.

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Dwayne Johnson performs a monologue from Bring It On (2000). Christina Milian would later star in Bring It on: Fight to the Finish (2009).

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Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit appears in the final concert scene.

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John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Harvey Keitel all appeared in Pulp Fiction (1994).

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In the scene where John Travolta meets Harvey Keitel, Harvey raises his finger as if making a gun. He did the same thing in Taxi Driver (1976) while wearing a similar tank top.

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The Hawaiian-style costume and dance that Elliot (Dwayne Johnson) performs on stage at Linda Moon's show closely resembles the costume and dance scene of Maui in the animated children's film Moana (2016). Coincidentally, Dwayne Johnson is also the voice of Maui.

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Both Get Shorty and Be Cool end with Harvey Keitel being arrested while taking something from a closet.

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Although Keitel plays a different character, the only actors returning from the original film are John Travolta, Harvey Keitel and Danny DeVito. Travolta and DeVito reprise their roles as Chilli Palmer and Martin Weir.

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Dwayne Johnson and Danny DeVito later appeared together in Jumanji: The Next Level (2019).

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John Travolta and Robert Pastorelli both appeared in Michael (1996), but they share far less screen time in this film.

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John Travolta and Vince Vaughn acted together in Domestic Disturbance (2001).

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John Travolta and Uma Thurman kiss in Be Cool (2005). They did not kiss in Pulp Fiction (1994).

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Chili forms a close relationship with Elliott (Dwayne Johnson), a bodyguard who wants to become an actor. In Get Shorty, Chili develops a close relationship with Bear (James Gandolfini), a bodyguard who was formerly a stuntman.

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In Get Shorty, Karen is woken by the television while in bed with Harry, so Harry goes downstairs to see what is happening. Karen later follows him. In Be Cool, Edie is woken by the stereo while in bed with Chili, so Chili goes downstairs to see what is happening, and Edie later follows him.

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It was Anna Nicole Smith's last feature film.

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Chili Palmer (John Travolta) and Edie Athens (Uma Thurman) walk past the TCL Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard while talking about Steven Tyler. The film playing is The Untouchables (1987).

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Thirty years earlier, James Woods played Alex Welles in The Great Debate (1975), in which John Travolta played the lead character Vinnie Barbarino.

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John Travolta and James Woods appeared in The General's Daughter (1999).

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Early in the film, Martin Weir (DeVito) tells Chili Palmer (Travolta) that he will play music icon Johnny Cash. John Travolta's previous film, Ladder 49 (2004), also starred Joaquin Phoenix, who played Johnny Cash in Walk the Line (2005). Travolta also presented the Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy award at the 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2006, which Phoenix won for his role as Johnny Cash.

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The cast includes five Oscar nominees: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Danny DeVito and James Woods.

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Both John Travolta and Dwayne Johnson would later work with Karen Gillan. Travolta would act alongside Gillan in In a Valley of Violence (2016), and Johnson would act alongside Gillan in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and its sequel Jumanji: The Next Level (2019).

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Be Cool opens with Kool & the Gang's "Hollywood Swingin'," while Pulp Fiction opens with Kool & the Gang's "Jungle Boogie."

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Christina Millian: in 2002 she performed the theme song "Call Me, Beep Me!" for Disney Channel's animated series Kim Possible.

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