Get Shorty (1995)

I remember this movie doing strong business and being pretty well thought off when it first came out, watching it now, for the first time, it seems dated and oddly tame. 'The Sopranos' came after this, as did a greater vogue for satire and dry humor. This movie seems like a slightly more straight version of 'Big Trouble', it seems like a whiff of what would come later with both prestige TV and meta TV, interestingly their is now a TV series adapted from this film. Based on a novel by Elmore Leonard 'Get Shorty' is about a Miami based loan shark (John Travolta at the dawn of his career resurgence) who travels to L.A. on a job and decides to get into the movie business, as a producer not an actor. It's likable enough, I can see how it would have been somewhat fresh and semi-innovative for the middle 90's, but I don't know,  more then most well regarded films of the past I couldn't get much beyond the sense that this was more progenitor then its own independent thing. It's well done, strong cast, I particularly liked Delroy Lindo in this. I would rate it favorably, moderately impressed by it, but just didn't' grab me like I hoped it would. Danny DeVito is the 'Shorty' of the title. ***