GET SHORTY (1995) ***1/2 John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, Danny De Vito, Delroy Lindo, Dennis Farina, James Gandolfini, David Paymer, Martin Ferrero, Bette Midler, Linda Hart, Bobby Slayton, Harvey Keitel (cameo), Penny Marshall (cameo). Funny and entertaining adaptation of Elmore Leonard's crime novel about Chili Palmer (Travolta, perfectly charming) a loan shark from Miami who heads out to LA after a pay cheat and winds up in Hollywood teaming up with horror schlock producer Hackman and B-film screamer Russo pitching a story and avoiding some not-so-pleasant criminal types along the way. Great satire and excellently keen in keeping Leonard's dialogue intact with some dead-on spoofing of Tinsel Town in particular De Vito as a Method actor run amok. Look for director Barry Sonnenfeld as a parking valet and also the real Chili Palmer as one of Farina's dinner companions at the film's pre-credit sequence prior to Travolta punching out Farina.