Overview
A mobster discovers Hollywood's allure while trying to collect a debt, leading to unexpected twists.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- witty
- sardonic
- irreverent
- laid back movie night
- crime comedy marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a sharply written, slyly entertaining crime comedy elevated by its perfectly matched ensemble cast and Hollywood satire.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Chili Palmer moves from collecting a gambling debt to navigating producers, actors, and movie financing, reversing the usual gangster-film power dynamic.
Chili applies mob-world negotiation skills to Hollywood production while treating studio politics as another underworld economy.
Chili remains composed and verbally precise while mobsters, producers, and performers create increasingly absurd complications around him.
The collection of gambling debts sends Chili from Miami into the Hollywood underworld and initiates the central chain of encounters.
Films like Get Shorty, and why
Jackie Brown
Both combine sardonic crime comedy, charismatic criminals, sharp dialogue, and Hollywood-adjacent self-awareness.
Out of Sight
Both use witty genre deconstruction, criminal schemes, and an entertaining ensemble of morally flexible characters.
The Big Lebowski
Both blend gangster crime with playful satire, deadpan humor, and escalating complications rather than grim realism.
Pulp Fiction
Both turn underworld characters and violence into stylish, irreverent comedy-thrillers with strong ensemble chemistry.
Movie Details
- Director
- Barry Sonnenfeld
- Release Date
- 1995-10-20
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (1259)
Cast
- John Travolta
- Gene Hackman
- Rene Russo
- Danny DeVito
- Dennis Farina
- Delroy Lindo
- James Gandolfini
- Jon Gries
- Renee Props
- David Paymer
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Get Shorty about?
- A suavely relentless Miami mobster discovers that Hollywood’s dealmakers, egos, and hustlers may be more entertaining—and nearly as dangerous—as the underworld he knows.
- What is Get Shorty like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Get Shorty as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Get Shorty violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Get Shorty as moderate.
- What did critics think of Get Shorty?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a sharply written, slyly entertaining crime comedy elevated by its perfectly matched ensemble cast and Hollywood satire.
- Which films are like Get Shorty?
- Films with a similar feel include Jackie Brown, Out of Sight, The Big Lebowski, and Pulp Fiction.
- How long is Get Shorty?
- Get Shorty runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch Get Shorty?
- In United States, Get Shorty is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
