HBO Max just added one of the best crime comedy movies ever made — stream it now
To be fair, this is not the first time I've written about "Get Shorty" at Tom's Guide, and it probably won't be the last. This crime comedy movie has an incredible cast, is well-paced and is based on a great Elmore Leonard novel.
In short, what's not to love about it?
But if you're not sold yet, let's dive into what "Get Shorty" is about and why the star-studded cast alone is worth watching one of the greatest crime comedies ever made.
"Get Shorty" starts as a pure gangster movie, with Miami loan shark Chili Palmer (John Travolta) feuding with a rival mobster, Ray "Bones" Barboni (Dennis Farina). But when Bones is suddenly in charge of Chili's operation, the latter finds themselves going out west to hunt down a gambling debt for the former.
His westward venture ultimately leads Chili to Hollywood director Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), and sensing opportunity, instead of throwing Harry off the Santa Monica Pier, Chili pitches him a movie about Chili's career as a loan shark, with himself attached as a producer.
But he's not the only gangster looking to exploit Harry's role as a Hollywood director to make some money, and there's still the issue of Chili never collecting Bones' money. This leads Chili to have to outmaneuver his boss, some drug lords and the DEA if he wants to get his movie made.
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This movie is fun, and it's funny.
Whether it's a rental car service trying to convince Chili that an Oldsmobile Silhouette is "The Cadillac of minivans" or Chili throwing a guy down a set of stairs once he learns the guy is a stuntman, there are clever moments littered throughout this movie that will have you letting out a chuckle.
The aforementioned stuntman, by the way? That's James Gandolfini, and he's just part of this movie's loaded cast.
In addition to Travolta, Hackman, Farina and Gandolfini, "Get Shorty" features Delroy Lindo and Jon Gries as drug dealers/movie investors Bo Catlett and Ronnie Wingate. Rene Russo also stars as scream queen Karen Flores, who is both Travolta and Hackman's love interest.
Finally, Danny DeVito plays Martin Weir, an Academy Award-nominated actor who is interested in playing Chili in the movie Chili is working with Harry to sell.
Now, if you don't find the idea of Danny DeVito playing John Travolta in a movie at least a bit amusing, "Get Shorty" might not be for you.
But if you love any of the actors I just listed off, or any of Leonard's other adapted works like "Justified" or "Jackie Brown," then I promise you'll like this crime comedy movie.
Stream "Get Shorty" on HBO Max now
Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.
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