History Film / GetShorty

* ShoutOutToShakespeare: As a joke, Martin Weir does a ''Theater/TheMerchantOfVenice'' reference to Chili and Karen. Martin does avarice HandRubbing, keeps his eyes closed, and grunts. Martin "realizes" his mistake.
-->Martin: I'm doing Shylock instead of ''a'' shylock.

* ShoutOutToShakespeare: As a joke, Martin Weir does a ''Theater/MerchantOfVenice'' reference to Chili and Karen. Martin does an avarice hand rub, keeps his eyes closed, and grunts. Martin "realizes" his mistake.

* NotSoDifferent: One of the reasons Chili manages to flourish in L.A is because the movie business and the mafia business are not actually that different.
** Chili and Bo Catlett are also both very elegant and stylish men who are career criminals but for reasons of birth don't entirely fit in with the criminal organisations they work for, passionately love movies and are fascinated by the movie business, and view the posturing, obnoxious behaviour of their fellow criminals with a certain amount of withering contempt.

* AsHimself: The final scene of the movie is the filming of Chili's movie. In it, [[spoiler: Harvey Keitel plays himself playing Ray Bones, and Penny Marshall plays herself as the director.]]

* TheCameo: At the film's ending, Creator/HarveyKeitel plays himself as the actor in the film being shot which Chili wrote, Harry's producing, and Weir is starring.

* HeroesGoneFishing: Chili at one point watches ''Film/Touch Of Evil'' in a movie theater, and Karen joins in for the end, which Chili doesn't realise until he turns and sees her after it has ended (she was sitting behind him).

* HeroesGoneFishing: Chili at one point watches ''Touch Of Evil'' in a movie theater, and Karen joins in for the end, which Chili doesn't realise until he turns and sees her after it has ended (she was sitting behind him).

A 1990 novel by Creator/ElmoreLeonard, ''Get Shorty'' was adapted into a 1995 film directed by Creator/BarrySonnenfeld, starring Creator/JohnTravolta as Chili alongside an all-star cast including Creator/GeneHackman, Creator/DannyDeVito, and Creator/ReneRusso. Both the novel and movie are an AffectionateParody of the film industry, and both so well-received that Leonard wrote a rare sequel, ''Be Cool'', which also received a [[Film/BeCool film adaptation]], though neither managed to repeat the success of the original. In 2017, a [[Series/GetShorty television adaptation]] loosely inspired by the original was released on EPIX, with an original cast and story.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Sort of. In the book, Ray Bones is a lot more menacing and a lot less of a complete moron than he is in the movie. However, while for much of the book he's mentioned as an ominous soon-to-arrive threat, when he eventually shows up Chili ends up dealing with him fairly quickly. However, in the movie, while he's a lot stupider he's also around more often, shows up in Los Angeles much sooner and consequently is a lot more of an active threat. [[spoiler: Specifically, the scene where he shows up at Harry's office, beats the crap out of Harry and then shoots Ronnie doesn't appear in the book.]]

** Bones' black bodyguard is stuck working for him because better jobs are hard to come by unless you speak Spanish.

** In the book it's more of a ChekhovsSkill in the book, as [[spoiler:her scream is loud enough to distract Bo and make him miss his shot.]]

** A subtle case -

* CatchPhrase: "Look at me."

* ExactWords: When going over to Ray's house to confront him over stealing his coat, Chili assures his partner that he "won't say any more than he has to, if that". When he gets there, he breaks Ray's nose, grabs his coat and leaves, not saying a word.

* BrandX: A substantial amount of screen time takes place in the Billingsley department store, which is really the Del Amo Fashion Center's Macy's.

* AffablyEvil: Ray Bones tries coming across as this at times, but the fact that he's both a complete {{Jerkass}} and an [[TheDitz idiotic dickhead]] just makes him seem insincere as well as threatening.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: InUniverse. Ray Bones is arrested when he goes to the airport and opens the locker the DEA has staked out (although it's unknown if Ray resisted or not). In the movie they're making out of Chili's story, Ray and Chili have a violent shootout at the airport with no cops in sight.

** BorrowedCatchphrase: Harry uses the "Look at me" line on Ray Bones. [[BerserkButton Bad move]].
* ChekhovsGun: The $500,000 dollars in drug money sitting in a rented locker at the airport; it's there for the taking, with the snag that it's been sussed out by DEA agents who are have it under 24/7 surveillance waiting to pounce on whoever opens the locker and bust them. [[spoiler: Ray "Bones" is the unlucky S.O.B who ends up opening the locker.]]

* ClusterFBomb: Bones. To everyone. All the time.

** Precisely 50% of [[spoiler: Creator/HarveyKeitel]]'s dialogue.

* ExactWords: When going over to Ray's house to confront him over stealing his coat, Chili assures his partner that he "won't say anymore than he has to, if that". When he gets there, he breaks Ray's nose, grabs his coat and leaves, not saying a word.

** That's not necessarily what happens as Chili is somewhat starstruck at first when he meets Martin.

* OvercomplicatedMenuOrder: While sitting in a restaurant, Karen explains to Chili that celebrities will alway order something that is not on the menu, and then leave without eating it. On cue, Martin Weir enters, orders an omelette made entirely on egg whites, has a brief conversation with Karen and Chili, and then leaves before the omelette arrives.

* ActorAllusion: Alex Rocco receives a body massage in a similar manner to [[Film/TheGodfather Moe Green before his assassination]].

* AntiHero: Chili's a mobster. Not a strong example, though, since throughout the movie he makes it clear that while he can back it up, most of his threats needn't be heeded because he's just so intimidating. When he's not shaking people down or intimidating people, he's also a very likeable and charming guy in many ways.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: InUniverse. Ray Bones is arrested when he goes to the airport and opens the locker the DEA has staked out. In the movie they're making out of Chili's story, Ray and Chili have a violent shootout at the airport.

** Precisely 50% of [[spoiler: HarveyKeitel]]'s dialogue.

A 1990 novel by Creator/ElmoreLeonard, ''Get Shorty'' was adapted into a 1995 film directed by Creator/BarrySonnenfeld, starring Creator/JohnTravolta as Chili alongside an all-star cast including Creator/GeneHackman, Creator/DannyDeVito, and Creator/ReneRusso. Both the novel and movie are an AffectionateParody of the film industry, and both were well-received in and out of Hollywood -- well received enough, in fact, that Leonard wrote a rare sequel to one of his books, ''Be Cool''. It was not as well received, though compared to its [[Film/BeCool film adaptation]], its reception was quite warm indeed.

* StupidCrooks: Every single antagonist of this film is an impulsive idiot with a HairTriggerTemper and/or constantly underestimates his opponent.

* AlwaysCamp - Actors and directors. Loan sharks, punk rockers and producers, not so much.

* AntiHero - Chili's a mobster. Not a strong example, though, since throughout the movie he makes it clear that while he can back it up, most of his threats needn't be heeded because he's just so intimidating. When he's not shaking people down or intimidating people, he's also a very likeable and charming guy in many ways.
* AsHimself - The final scene of the movie is the filming of Chili's movie. In it, [[spoiler: Harvey Keitel plays himself playing Ray Bones, and Penny Marshall plays herself as the director.]]
* AuthorAvatar - InUniverse, as the main character in the ShowWithinAShow is based on Chili.

* BrooklynRage - Weir describers doing his acting research in Bensonhurst to capture New Yorkers' unique attitudes. Chili, however, is a subversion as he's one of the most even-tempered characters in the movie, even while others goad him.
* CatchPhrase - "Look at me."

* TheChessmaster - Chili. He's the smartest guy in every room, and manages to work the following GambitPileup threads to his advantage, all at the same time:

* ClusterFBomb - Bones. To everyone. All the time.

* DeathGlare - Chili makes good use of these, often commanding people "Look at me" to that he can aim one at them. Martin is intrigued by it so much that he spends a scene trying to imitate it, with Chili coaching him on how to do it right.

* FishOutOfWater - Lampshaded, but subverted. Chili's direct manner is frequently discussed as being at odds with the Hollywood machine, yet he's well-liked by all the actors, agents and other Hollywood archetypes he encounters.

* GambitPileup - Everybody but Karen and the Bear has an agenda in the movie, and those agendas collide with one another more often than they work out as planned. Chili plays them all like a finely-tuned piano.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard - [[spoiler: Bo gets killed by the same trap he created to kill Chili]]

* LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub in Florida and Hollywood! Vesuvio is an Italian restaurant that while might not be owned my the Mafia, they let Ray Bones do whatever he wants there. Rich's Barber Shop, has [[TheBarber the barber]] actually cutting hair, but the back room is a loan shark office. Even legitimate patrons know its a front and tip off Chili Palmer when someone is coming by coughing. Bo Catlett runs a limo service that is a front for a small time drug ring. And one could say the point of the movie is all of Hollywood is a front for organized crime calling them selves Producers.

* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal - [[spoiler:Bear, who ultimately pushes his abusive boss Bo off the same railing he wanted rigged to give "like in the movies" for Chili.]] It's unwise to threaten your henchman's daughter.
* TheMafia - Chili's a shylock for the Miami mob, though aside from Chili and Ray Bones, most of the wiseguys are bit parts

* RailingKill - Bo does this to Yeyo, and considered killing Chili by getting him to lean against loose railing.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot / [[RealitySubtext Reality Subtext]] - If you listen to the [[DVDCommentary commentary]] and watch the Making Of specials on the DVD, you will learn that what the book is making fun of how movies are made actually happened in this movie, to an extremely funny and ironic level. Examples include:

* RealMenWearPink - Ray Bones wears a lot of pastels, including pink, partly due to being from Miami. Bo Catlett's bathroom is also very pink, and he's very protective of his sparkling white carpets. Both of them kill at least one person in cold blood over the course of the story.
* RealPersonCameo - Ernesto "Chili" Palmer, Elmore Leonard's inspiration for the lead character, was cast as one of Ray Bones's sycophants and seen in the opening scene.

* RevolversAreJustBetter - Averted. During the scene where Ray is threatened with a revolver by one of Bo's thugs (see PantsPositiveSafety), the thug reckons that Ray's automatic will jam. It doesn't.
* ScreamingWoman - Karen Flores's claim to fame in Harry's low-budget monster movies when she was a young woman. She reveals that even in her late thirties that she can still belt one out. [[spoiler: this ends up being both a ChekhovsGun and ironic as the only time she screams is late in the movie which alerts Bo to her presence and he subsequently [[HandGagging puts his hand over her mouth]] and [[DamselInDistress kidnaps her]].]]

* ShadowArchetype - Bo Catlett loves movies as much as Chili does and can be quite affable, but he's a lot more ostentatious and much more ready to use violence. Also, both have mixed ethnic ancestry. Chili is half-Italian, half-Hispanic, which prevented him from being a bonafide mobster; Catlett is half-black, half-Native American and also experienced prejudice as a child (worse prejudice which [[FreudianExcuse explains]] his much more violent behavior).
* ShockParty - For poor Momo. He doesn't take it very well.

* SurroundedByIdiots - Chili is surrounded by Ray Bones, Leo [=DeVoe=], Harry Zimm and Bo Catlett -- they're not all necessarily idiots, but they are to a man shortsighted, self-centered and entirely convinced they are neither of those things...

* TranquilFury - Chili's {{Backstory}} reveals that his nickname started as an ironic poke at his temper, but throughout the story nothing sets him off and what little does get him angry warrants a calm, dispassionate DeathGlare. The novel ''also'' reveals that the nickname stuck because he lost the hot-headedness, and manages his temper through those cool, stony glares instead.

* WickedCultured - Chili, Bo, and even somewhat Ray all fit this.