You would assume when studio executives green light a big budget movie, they have some idea who the audience will be for it, but this is a movie that seems to have no idea of its potential audience. Instead of focusing on either the middle aged audience who, presumably, made the first one a hit, or the youth audience who will be drawn by the hip hop music and all star supporting cast, they go for both. The result can be charitably termed a cinematic bouillabaisse. Besides, would a hero who respects the Black Eyed Peas because they teamed up with Sergio Mendez really care about, or have an ear for, contemporary pop? And are other guest stars like Aerosmith even "contemporary"? The movie is trying to be all things to all demographics, and no movie can do that.
A while ago, a friend of mine met a producer who explained that a movie like "Bringing Down The House" was made because "hip hop is hot". Fine. But for a sequel to "Get Shorty"? The middling box office for "Be Cool" seems to support this. Fans of the first one were turned off by the transparent attempt to reach a teen audience.The teen audience couldn't care less about Chilli Palmer.
As for Travolta, yeah, the movie is a mess, and a failure. He walks through this movie seeming bored, almost a supporting character in his own movie amongst so many scene stealers. He's coasting on the last fumes of his "Pulp Fiction" comeback. But give him a few years. He'll lay low for awhile then come back, bigger than ever. He has a knack for winding up in truly iconic roles every 15 years or so. He'll be due again around 2009. People love this guy. It'll just take a few years and another good movie for them to remember why.
A while ago, a friend of mine met a producer who explained that a movie like "Bringing Down The House" was made because "hip hop is hot". Fine. But for a sequel to "Get Shorty"? The middling box office for "Be Cool" seems to support this. Fans of the first one were turned off by the transparent attempt to reach a teen audience.The teen audience couldn't care less about Chilli Palmer.
As for Travolta, yeah, the movie is a mess, and a failure. He walks through this movie seeming bored, almost a supporting character in his own movie amongst so many scene stealers. He's coasting on the last fumes of his "Pulp Fiction" comeback. But give him a few years. He'll lay low for awhile then come back, bigger than ever. He has a knack for winding up in truly iconic roles every 15 years or so. He'll be due again around 2009. People love this guy. It'll just take a few years and another good movie for them to remember why.