Drug-smuggling. Racketeering. Loan sharking. Welcome to Hollywood! This hysterical comedy suggests it doesn't take much to make it in the movies ... when you've got a background with the mob.

Loan shark Chili Palmer (John Travolta) has done his time as a gangster. So when "business" takes him to L.A. to collect a debt from down-and-out filmmaker Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), Chili jumps headfirst into the Hollywood scene: He schmoozes a film star (Danny DeVito), romances a B-movie actress (Rene Russo) and even gets reservations at the hottest restaurants in town. In fact, all would be cool for this smooth new producer if it weren't for the drug smugglers and an angry mobster who won't leave him alone. But hey, this is Hollywood and no one said it would be easy.