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It was a word-of-mouth hit for John Travolta following his comeback in Pulp Fiction, but Barry Sonnenfeld's Get Shorty isn't just another crime caper. Based on the book by Elmore Leonard, this is a fabulously rib-tickling satire on the Hollywood film industry and crackles with street-smart dialogue. Spouting the catchphrase "Look at me," Travolta has never looked more at home than in the role of loanshark-turned-movie-producer Chili Palmer. Ten years later the sharks at MGM release this Special Edition DVD just in time for the sequel...
Get Lost!
Two funny and surprisingly informative documentaries form the bulk of extras, which are spread across two discs. Page To Screen goes back to that first creative spark in the mind of Elmore Leonard, who likens the movie business to organised crime in terms of "threats, fears and intangibles" and introduces us to the real Chili Palmer. Meanwhile screenwriter Scott Frank explains how he fought to preserve the spirit of Leonard's work, but notes that the book, the script, and the film are "three different visions that dovetailed together". Nonetheless, you maybe surprised to hear that Sonnenfeld hated the finished product, saying, "I thought it was the most boring movie anyone ever made!"
Hear more from Sonnenfeld and his cast of players in Look At Me where Travolta sees the parallel between gangsters and moviemakers as "people who want to be free". Initially though Travolta turned down the script and it was only after his pal Quentin Tarantino gave him a talking to that he saw the possibilities. Even Gene Hackman admits that he needed convincing. "I don't do comedies," he told Sonnenfeld. "I don't want to be the guy who looks like he's trying to be funny." As the eponymous Shorty and the film's producer, Danny DeVito also sticks his two cents in, advising wannabe filmmakers, "Any movie with a helmet is no good - except space movies." Okaay... He offers more pearls of wisdom, along with Sonnenfeld, in four Easter eggs hidden on Disc Two.
A Hack Job
Before Ben Stiller was "Ben Stiller" he was on the cutting room floor for Get Shorty. He plays a bratty director in the very funny deleted 'Graveyard Scene' swapping insults with Hackman's Harry Zimm on the set of their B-grade horror flick. In a special behind-the-scenes featurette Stiller explains what he's trying to achieve with his character, summing him up as, "just a total asshole really".
There's more fascinating B-roll in the Going Again featurette. It captures a mad stream of consciousness for Danny DeVito who, in a pivotal scene, insists on no cuts as he tries to nail the character of Martin Weir. Meanwhile Travolta lighten things up in The Party Reel, dispensing the famous Leonard waffle in languages ranging from French to Ninja-movie Japanese.
Shooting From The Hip
Rene Russo gets her dues as scream queen Karen Flores in Wiseguys And Dolls, eschewing the bimbo stereotype for a "straight shooting" style. And the brilliant Dennis Farina reveals why he was the perfect choice for maniac mobster Ray Bones, when he says, "I'm not trying to be ha-ha funny." Sonnenfeld pitches in at the end to talk about the visual fabric of the movie (ie the lush production design and kinetic camera moves) but thankfully his audio commentary goes into a lot more detail about this.
Completing the package is a preview featurette for the sequel Be Cool with word from Travolta and The Rock. Altogether this two-disc edition of Get Shorty is well-rounded, fun and comes with plenty of behind-the-scenes titbits. In two words: get this!
EXTRA FEATURES
