Chili Palmer
[played by John Travolta]: “Bear, look at me. You tell your boss I don't
ever want to see him again. And that means he's got to be nowhere near me,
Karen, or Harry. You understand?”
[Bear, on the ground, nods.]
Chili: “Okay, get up.
What are you hanging around that guy for, anyway? I mean, you were in the
movies, right? You were a stuntman. What's he ever done that he can talk about?
You okay?”
Bear [played by
James Gandolfini] [gasping]: “Not too bad.”
Chili: “How about when
you fell down the stairs?”
Bear: “Pulled my
quadriceps.”
Chili: “So how many movies
you been in, anyway?”
Bear [still struggling]:
“About sixty.”
Chili: “No shit! What
were some of them?”— Get Shorty
(1995), screenplay by Scott Frank adapted from the novel by Elmore Leonard,
directed by Barry Sonnenfeld
Nearly 30 years after I saw this film in the theaters,
I was reminded all over again about its offbeat, hilarious dialogue when I read
the recent New Yorker interview with Scott Frank.
Please note that Travolta and Gandolfini hailed from Bergen County, NJ, home of tough guys galore!
