Synopsis

After leaving the movie business behind, former mobster Chili Palmer turns his attention to music. He agrees to manage an aspiring singer and soon faces dishonest producers, dangerous gangsters, Russian criminals, and a volatile rival manager. As Chili navigates the Los Angeles music scene, he relies on his trademark calm, clever negotiations, and ability to stay one step ahead.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film adapts Elmore Leonard's 1999 novel, which is a sequel to Get Shorty. It continues Chili Palmer's story after his transition from loan shark to Hollywood producer.

• John Travolta suggested Uma Thurman for the role of Edie Athens, hoping to recapture the on-screen chemistry they had displayed in Pulp Fiction.

• Robert Pastorelli died from an accidental drug overdose during production. Be Cool became his final film appearance.

• This was the last film in which Dwayne Johnson was credited as "The Rock." Later projects generally used "Dwayne Johnson," although the wrestling name remained associated with his WWE work.

• Joe Pesci was attached to the project before filming began but left shortly before production for undisclosed reasons.

• Principal photography took place from February 2 through April 23, 2004. Los Angeles locations included Canter's Deli, the Viper Room, and streets along Sunset Boulevard, while the Aerosmith concert scenes were filmed at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

• The film includes music-business cameos by Gene Simmons and Steven Tyler, helping blur the line between the movie's fictional industry and the real one.

• The production combined crime-comedy conventions with music-industry satire, reflecting Leonard's recurring interest in professionals who remain composed while surrounded by people who are not.