Word: chilies
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...hours is that police officers regularly patrol the central location around the Tasty. Defense Fund President Pebble M. Gifford said the Harvard Square Hotel, which abuts C'est Bon, is "up against a residential area." We're not sure exactly what residential area she means, since Kinko's and Chili's are further down Mt. Auburn St. than C'est Bon--and Kinko's itself is open 24 hours. We don't see how a mild-mannered cafe such as C'est Bon could possibly disturb residents more than the brightly-lit, all-night Kinko's already has. However, perhaps...
Deservedly so. His Chili Palmer is a Miami loan shark, the kind of good fellow who can shatter his competitor's nose and with a casually aimed shot nip a sliver off his scalp, in the process neither raising his voice nor losing his shy little smile. He's a much neater operative than Pulp's Vinnie. And his drug of choice is much less threatening; it's old movies. For he's also the kind of film geek who can identify Rio Bravo from a few snippets overheard on the TV set in another room, or mouth...
Imagine tough-tender Chili's delight when the demands of business and the dictates of pleasure combine in the form of a trip to Tinseltown to collect some overdue debts. His pursuit of one deadbeat provides him with a pitchable story idea, while the pursuit of another one brings him into the presence of a producer and a star who, in his naivete, he thinks may be able to help him. Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman) may be a schlockmeister down on his luck, and Karen Flores (Rene Russo) may be famous mainly for the authentic terror with which she invests...
Actually--in his uncritical affection for all things cinematic--he loves their work. Can a co-production deal be far behind? Nope. It requires less than two hours of hilarious, intricately plotted, beautifully acted screen time for Chili to free Harry from the toils of some menacing drug dealers who own a piece of a film he has neglected to produce, fall into a rewarding relationship with Karen and, yes, get Shorty. That is to say, get a major movie star--diminutive, egomaniacal Martin Weir (Danny DeVito, whose company produced this film)--to commit to their project...
...trouble comprehending. People in the movie business like to pretend they inhabit a rational universe, one where you can determine a star's course through a series of well-plotted career moves. Strolling equably through a universe he implicitly defines as chaotic, playing what amounts to a real-life Chili Palmer--mannerly, sweet-spirited, yet utterly confident of his own strength--Travolta calls all their operating assumptions into question. And deepens his own mystery...