The Cooler (2003)

The premise of this swinging Vegas picture is enough to carry it over its narrative rough spots. The unluckiest sap on the planet (William H. Macy) is employed as a "cooler" at a casino; his very presence can chill the hot streak of any patron on a roll. He's valued by the old-school manager of the place, a role given a two-fisted, bourbon-swilling incarnation by Alec Baldwin. Macy means to quit, but then he falls for a waitress (the excellent Maria Bello, from Permanent Midnight)--might his luck be changing? The subplots are pretty much a mess, but the frank sex scenes between Macy and Bello give the movie a truly offbeat feel. The tawdry air of a second-rate casino is also nicely done: This is not the new family-friendly Las Vegas, but a tough place of superstitions, sinister back rooms, and shabby motels. The characters are perfectly at home. --Robert Horton Amazon.com

" The Cooler "

There is " Casino " and " Ocean's Eleven ( 2001 ), and now " The Cooler ".The beginning of the movie you get a breath taking view of Las Vegas at night.You can feel the excitement of the Casino as you descend down the escalator.This is one of many favorite scenes. A-1 performances,excellent dialogs.No dull moments. The soundtrack makes it feel you are actually there.
Get this movie.Pretend you are playing the Slots or the Table games.Make sure you see The Cooler. June 11, 2008

The Brothers Grimm take on Las Vegas

I loved the fairy tale genre when I was a little kid. It took me a while to realize that The Cooler is a (semi) modern fairy tale. It has a prince (of a guy) played by Bill Macy who is in thrall to an evil demon (played by Alec Baldwin). The poor prince is rescued by a brave maiden (Maria Bello).

As in all fairy tales, the demon is destroyed by his own evil. The price and maiden leave town, richer than before, ready to start over in a distant land. August 20, 2007

Two main themes: luck, and the struggle between the Old and New Vegas

The Cooler stars William H. Macy the loveable loser Bernie Lootz, a downtrodden Las Vegas resident with a bad streak of luck at gambling. In order to pay off a debt to the crooked thug manager of the Shangri-La casino (played by Alec Baldwin), Bernie works for seven years as a casino "cooler." He's a man of such bad luck that the manager pays him to visit tables and kill large winning streaks. Just Bernie's presence is enough to ruin anyone's luck.

When Bernie's time is up, he plans to leave Las Vegas for good. The Shangri-La manager has other plans--how could he let his secret casino moneymaker walk? Manager Shelly conspires to keep Bernie around with a love interest, a cocktail waitress with a checkered past (played by Maria Bello). When Bernie and the waitress fall in love, his luck changes, throwing the world of the Shangri-La in turmoil.

The Cooler is about two main themes: luck, and the struggle between the Old and New Vegas. The idea that one man can ruin anyone's streak is ridiculous, but it plays out well in the movie, and Maria Bello's character fits as a fairy tale princess who changes Bernie's outlook on life. Throughout the movie, Shelly is struggling with new casino management who want to modernize the Shangri-La, stop using coolers and back room thugs to keep the action in line, and move into more subliminal marketing strategies. Shelly has a fantasy about the elegance of Old Vegas and is unwilling to give up his kingdom in the Shangri-La.

William H. Macy and Mario Bello deliver top-notch performances in this dark romantic movie. Alec Baldwin overacts at times, but still captures the essence of a man unwilling to give up the only world he knows, that of the Shrangri-La.
May 18, 2007

and what was the name of that little guy with the cloud over his head in "lil abner"?

one of the themes here is akin to that of "casino", i.e. the end of the old las vegas. much like movies that bemoan the passing of manhattans deuce, i guess you had to be there to get it. otherwise this is a turgid soap opera/fantasy about william macy, professional loser who is used by casino owner alec baldwin to serve as a hex on gamblers who are winning too big. until the day he falls in love and loses his sprcial skill. the movie should have been better than it is, but a screenplay that reads like it came out of a college "how to write a screenplay" course just brings it down to a tad below mediocre.
May 12, 2007

Outstanding Performances in an All Around Good Movie

Shelly Kaplow is an old fashioned casino owner in this brilliant Wayne Kramer film. Shelly is played perfectly by a once lost actor Alex Baldwin, whose previous failures as a leading man have led him down the path of becoming an absolutely magnificent character actor. Shelly is a man Who runs his casino his way, despite being urged by other forces (including Ron Livingston's great performance as Larry Sokolove) to update his business beyond Las Vegas nostalgia. Shelly also employs "Coolers"; these are people who carry an array of bad luck and destroy the luck of even the hottest casino tables. Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) is the very best Cooler in the business and despite their checkered past, he is also Shelly's only real friend. Bernie's luck is terrible until he finds love in the form of Maria Bello's Natalie. His luck turns as he is planning to leave the business and Shelly is trying to talk him out of it. So the stage is set for these actors to roam free and walk us through a delightful and at times shocking thriller.

I laughed at these characters and thoroughly enjoyed watching the actors absolutely rule the screen in this enjoyable little movie. Macy normally must outshine stronger roles around him as a supporting actor but here we see him in a rare feature role and he is as good as ever. Macy comes off as perpetually unnerved by all the cards he is dealt in his life no matter what they are. The only time Macy is upstaged or equaled is by Maria Bello's convincing opposite role as Natalie, and the furious and often hilarious performance unleashed by Alec Baldwin. Ironically, we see Baldwin take the reins and steal scenes in a supporting role from a career supporting role master in Macy, and his leading role here. I knew Baldwin was good because the hype was seemingly coming from all the right places, but he is extremely entertaining in this film, even more so then I expected.

At times The Cooler has it's share of predictable details I really shouldn't get into here, but I don't think that it's ability to surprise us with some of its twists is what the film sets out to accomplish, although there were some points where I wish they did. We get to understand the reasons why Natalie and Bernie are in love so fast, we understand why Shelly is a sadistic and egotistical power monger (a rarity to see a microscope put on such a villain) and Macy under plays his role as an alternative to Baldwin's fiery Shelly...perhaps that is why Shelly sees them as close friends.

The Cooler carries a style that paces the natural humor just enough where it is funny without being a comedy, while also keeping the drama in check enough to really keep you caring at key moments. This film is handled impeccably well by Kramer and even more defined by a bevy of excellent performances. Good story and very rarely slow to even the most impatient viewer. The Cooler is a very good film.

May 11, 2007

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