Movies #1972 "Get Shorty" (tv series - amazon prime) Right off the bat, I have to tell you that we have not seen the movie nor read the book so we went into this blindly. The only pull to watch this was the cast: Ray Romano and Chris O'Dowd. We had no idea the premise --- if we did, we might not have watched it because we would have guessed it would be very violent for us (our threshold is different from others, we think --- for example, "Ozark" is too dark for our stomachs). And we are tired of watching mobsters and think "The Godfather" is the best, so why watch more? Anyway, if we keep reminding ourselves that this is dark humor that is being used a lot, that helps us get through the show. That, and there isn't a lot of lingering or attention on the violence --- one shot in the forehead and person gone. Very little time spent --- If you can get through the first episode, and it becomes clear what O'dowd and his dimwit sidekick does for this mob they are working for, you can pretty much get through the rest (although, halfway through the first season, there is a Valentine's Dayish attack on another mob and some blood is shed -- but something like that is seen a lot in mobster films). I guess what really drew us in is that it takes a typical mob idea (like Godfather, but this time with a woman in charge -- equal time, even for mobsters) and mixes it with the film industry, and poses the question: What if the mob took their violent ways and came into an industry that oftentimes bullies and depends on mob mentality, but doesn't usually use the violence on each other. Voila! the film industry. So we know there is a lot of cheating, backstabbing, money grubbing stuff going on in making films, but (we hope) there aren't mob actions usually involved (for example --- you don't like what the writer wrote, you go to his house to get him to change it, and in order to do that, you put his fingers in a vice --- or offer to cut them off one by one) I know the idea is a couple of years old, but I saw it as a reflection of the times right now --- we have , what I think, is a mob mentality in the government right now and if taken to even more extremes.........well, who knows? And besides, the cast is more than competent. In addition to the wonderful Chris O'Dowd, there's Ray Romano as a seasoned producer whose values himself are a bit shaky, but how far will he go? The cast is diverse and talented, and I really like Chris O'Dowd's family: wife, daughter (Shorty) and his sidekick --- all to whom he is very loyal and would do anything for them, but of course constantly cause conflict with what his job entails. He wants to go straight, so you like him for that, but you don't like the ugly things he does at times, and that makes for a tragic character. We aren't sure if we will continue watching --- Season 1 left them in a precarious situation. If you have finished this series and recommend it, maybe we will..... still thinking about this one. But I would give season 1 a 4 out of 5 and recommend it ---- but not to everyone.
"GET SHORTY" 2017 comedy/crime 1 hr episodes, 10 eps Season 1, total: 3 seasons, 27 epsThe adventures of a mobster-turned-movie producer in Hollywood. TV show based on Elmore Leonard's novel and subsequent film.
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