Directed by Ralph Bakshi, “Cool World” starred Gabriel Byrne as cartoonist Jack Deebs, who finds himself in an animated world he believes to be his own creation. While crossing this dimension, Deebs meets Holli Will (Kim Basinger) vampire resembling Jessica Rabbit… who goes against the rules imposed by Cool World lawyer Frank Harris, played by Brad Pitt.
“Cool World” faced many production issues. Pitt was Bakshi’s first choice for the role of Harris, but due to creative arguments with the studio, the director was forced to replace Drew Barrymore – his first choice to play Holli Would – with Kim Basinger, who he said , wanted his horror film to be instead “a PG movie to show in hospitals” (via DVD Verdict). The power of the star didn’t help: The film was a critical and box office failure, earning a shocking worldwide gross of $ 14 million, according to Box Office Mojo, on a budget of $ 28 million (via the New York Times). “Cool World” holds the title of Brad Pitt’s lowest rated film on Rotten Tomatoes with an unthinkable score of 4% on the Tomatometer. It is also the last feature film directed by Bakshi.
“Cool World” was considered a “surprisingly incompetent movie” by Roger Ebert. He has received comparisons with “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” as expected, with Entertainment Weekly calling it a sign of the times when “it’s no longer possible to get away with scenes in which a cartoon has obviously been glued to an actor’s wooden movements.” Ouch.
Pitt’s career narrowly escaped the same fate. A year later, he appeared in Tony Scott’s cult hit “True Romance” (written by his possible filmmaker friend Quentin Tarantino) before having a career explosion in “Interview with the Vampire” opposite Tom Cruise. The rest, as they say, is history.