Synopsis
Miami loan shark Chili Palmer travels to Los Angeles to collect a debt from a struggling horror producer. Fascinated by Hollywood and convinced that movie executives operate much like gangsters, Chili pitches his own story while navigating threats from criminals, dishonest financiers, and an egotistical actor. His sudden career shift puts him between the underworld and the film business.
Factoids & Trivia
- The film adapts Elmore Leonard's 1990 novel of the same name. Screenwriter Scott Frank retained the book's dry dialogue and made Hollywood's dealmaking mirror the tactics of organized crime.
- John Travolta initially turned down the role of Chili Palmer twice. Barry Sonnenfeld later said Quentin Tarantino urged him to reconsider, following their collaboration on Pulp Fiction.
- Danny DeVito helped secure the rights to the novel and initially considered playing Chili Palmer. He instead chose Martin Weir, the vain movie star known as "Shorty."
- Gene Hackman originally hesitated because he was not known primarily for comedy. Sonnenfeld wanted him to play Harry Zimm straight, allowing the absurdity of the Hollywood situations to create the humor.
- The real Ernest "Chili" Palmer, the Miami loan shark who inspired Leonard's character, appears briefly as one of Ray Barboni's associates. The cameo was filmed near the end of production.
- Penny Marshall appears as the director of the movie being made within the film. Several other entertainment figures also appear in small roles or cameos, reinforcing the story's self-aware Hollywood setting.
- The production used recognizable Los Angeles locations, including the Vista Theatre, the Aero Theatre, and the Ivy restaurant.
- The film became a major commercial and critical success after its October 20, 1995, release. Travolta won the 1996 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.
- Its success helped establish a larger Get Shorty franchise, followed by the 2005 sequel Be Cool and a television series that ran from 2017 to 2019.