Be Cool

Rating:
Summary: Be Cool is way out there!
Review: Perhaps too much so is my guess. I was expecting a much more enjoyable read into the further antics of the inimitable Chili man, but felt I was short-changed. There seemed to be too much of the author showing up in this recent pastiche of the Get Shorty saga -- too much talking about how the character was going to script the movie. True, the satire had Leonard's usual sense of exquisite timing. But the plot, sadly, was threadbare. I kept waiting for things to happen that simply didn't, and the female singer delivered a singularly dull stage presence that left me feeling like I'd been cheated out of a more satisfying conclusion. I felt that Mr. Leonard was being rushed by his publishers to finish this project, and that he had managed to add a bit too much of his own personal angst about this in the book, thus the thin line was crossed at too many levels to make one feel comfortable with this particular work. Truly bad form, I think, to air one's dirty linen in public, and then, on top of that,to expect others to pay good money to see it, touch it, and *phew* smell it. Yuck!

Rating:
Summary: A Sequel that's as Good as the Original
Review: Chili Palmer is a former loan shark who has now relocated to Hollywood and is a player in the movie business, because he'd been successful with his first movie, "Get Leo," but the sequel tanked. He's trolling for new ideas with former crime associate, Tommy Athens, when Athens is murdered in cold blood - a mob hit, apparently. Chili has seen the killer and is very likely next on his list.

When he gets home he finds a man shot to death in his apartment, he realizes that both the dead man and the murderer were there to get him. The second hit man shot the first thinking he was Chili.

Much of the enjoyment in this story is the way Leonard uses events in Chili's life to give his hero material for his screenplay. The characters function both as themselves and actors in the film. Fiction within fiction.

And some of them are very funny: A black record producer who wants respect; a gigantic gay black bodyguard, who says he's Samoan; a bunch of Russian Mafia types and a streetwise collection of gangsta rappers known as Ropa Dope. From this rough material, Chilli must put together the movie that will save his career.

It's been said before and I'll say it again. Elmore Leonard is a genius. He can do no wrong. Like GET SHORTY, BE COOL is a keeper, a book you'll want to read again and again.

Rating:
Summary: Great first half.
Review: This is a sequel in which Chilli Palmer goes into the music business. Chilli, as his name suggests, is wonderfully cool. He is tough, but gets his way by outsmarting and confusing his adversaries. As is usual in an Elmore Leonard, most of the characters are fun, even the evil ones. I loved the first half of the book (until about the baseball bat murder) which is done with a light touch. By the end, however, the book became ALMOST tiresome. I am not sure what the problem is. Perhaps it is that Palmer's ultimate love interest is a totally uninspired character, and Palmer, himself, seems to be going through the motions, even while the plot twists continue unabated.

Rating:
Summary: Chili Palmer is back
Review: I've read a lot of Leonard's previous novels and this is the first sequel I am aware of. At first, I had a sense that Be Cool was written just so there could be a second movie starring Travolta, but as I read, the familiar dialogue and character development which is typically Elmore Leonard emerged. I have always learned a lot from Leonard's books, and this time is no exception - the music industry is there, warts and all. I wouldn't want Leonard to do it very often, but for once it was fun to read about a character I already knew pretty well, both from the earlier book and the movie. I couldn't help trying to cast the movie as I read, which made it even more fun. How about Don Cheadle as Raji? (I think Samuel Jackson is a little too old.) How about Ving Rhames as Elliot? He's such a good actor, he could play a Samoan. You gotta get Steve Zahn in there. (I guess you can tell that Out of Sight is one of my all-time favorite movies!) Anyway, some of the reviews above seem a little tough to me - maybe someone is taking himself or herself a little too seriously. If you want to read a clever, funny book in the Leonard tradition, grab a couple of beers and Be Cool.

Rating:
Summary: Not nearly as good as the first
Review: Elmore Leonard is a great American writer. His books, such as Mr. Majestyk, Rum Punch and Get Shorty are teriffic novels, fun to read. This one was a let down, even though it has the same characters from Get Shorty.

My biggest problem (but not my only one) was that Chili Palmer isn't nearly as tough as he was in the first. In Get Shorty, Palmer would tell people what they were going to do, and his voice had an edge that held you. In this one, he uses the same concept, but it's weaker here. I also missed Chili hitting people, like he did in the first book. It took away a lot of his character, like he was becoming a Hollywood nice guy.

Another problem was the lack of witty dialogue, a Leonard trademark. Get Shorty was full of it, my favorite line being "I'll make you a deal. If you can leave before I take my jacket off, I won't mop the floor with you." This book was much weaker on dialogue.

The only reason that this book gets two stars instead of one is the characters, another Leonard trademark. The characters (except for Chili, as I previously mentioned), are great, interesting people. Like real life, all of these characters have their own ticks, their own personal likes and dislikes, something that stands out.

Don't bother reading this one, just re-read Get Shorty again.

Rating:
Summary: KEEP Looking at me.
Review: This is one of the best L.A. books I've ever read. It's fairly recent and takes place in locations that L.A. people actually go (Swingers, Canter's Deli, Ralph's). The plot is a bit reminscent of Get Shorty, but who cares. The book is very entertaining.

Rating:
Summary: picks up where get shorty leaves off
Review: Be cool fallows our favorite Hollywood loan-shark as he continues with his hollywood career. Be Cool is a really faced paced and captivating. It's definetely something to read if you like get shorty.

Rating:
Summary: Waiting for the movie (On video)
Review: This book is not the standard E. Leonard novel, relative to its level of violence (not much, yea!!). It is full of humor and as usual he paints a great literary picture. I would love to see what a screen writer could do with this Leonard book but the right character actors are required. Without the right actors I'd still watch just for the thrill of humanizing Chil and Elliot, but that would be a video rental. The title is exactly the theme and with a name like Chili, the main character that is "cool" and hot at the same time. Really good read.

Rating:
Summary: Be Cool IS cool
Review: Kevin T. - RVHS
The Miami loan shark Chilli Palmer goes to Hollywood and gets into the movie business making two movies. The first is a big box office hit and the second a big flop. He needs another smash hit and this book is about how he develops scripting his next movie. He wants to turn his life into a movie and after a lunch with the music business bigwig, Tommy, someone executes the big shot. Chilli is a murder suspect. From here in the scripting unfolds as Chilli sets up real life encounters with real people. He manipulates a beautiful singer, shady music professionals, and villains. He wonders (and finds out) if these real-life events will turn into his next screen hit.
BE COOL is cool. The ripping dialog really tells the story and you definitely get to know the characters from their speech. You can just imagine John Travolta being in this movie if and when it really hits the big screens. I like this book because you just have to keep reading - you can't put it down. I'm into movie making and scripting and I enjoyed the idea that Chilli was stymied and turned to his life as a basis for his next script. Authors write best about what they know and understand. What better material is there for a writer than what experiences the writer has had? Well, in this case, what better experiences than what the writer will be having? This is an example of event based story telling with exciting characters and wild happenings. You'll be entertained.

Rating:
Summary: Be Cool IS Cool
Review: The Miami loan shark Chilli Palmer goes to Hollywood and gets into the movie business
making two movies. The first is a big box office hit and the second a big flop. He needs
another smash hit and this book is about how he develops scripting his next movie. He
wants to turn his life into a movie and after a lunch with the music business bigwig,
Tommy, someone executes the big shot. Chilli is a murder suspect. From here in the
scripting unfolds as Chilli sets up real life encounters with real people. He manipulates a
beautiful singer, shady music professionals, and villains. He wonders (and finds out) if
these real-life events will turn into his next screen hit.
BE COOL is cool. The ripping dialog really tells the story and you definitely get to know
the characters from their speech. You can just imagine John Travolta being in this movie
if and when it really hits the big screens. I like this book because you just have to keep
reading - you can't put it down. I'm into movie making and scripting and I enjoyed the idea
that Chilli was stymied and turned to his life as a basis for his next script. Authors write
best about what they know and understand. What better material is there for a writer than
what experiences the writer has had? Well, in this case, what better experiences than what
the writer will be having? This is an example of event based story telling with exciting
characters and wild happenings. You'll be entertained.