The Cooler

William Macy tries something different in this movie--he plays a loser! In fact, he radiates bad luck. He works in a casino where they pay him merely to stand beside people winning too much at the tables. As soon as he arrives the winners start to lose and this pleases casino boss Alec Baldwin. It's an amusing premise but unfortunately there is no humor at all in this film. In fact, it's mean spirited, violent and worst of all, pointless! I thought it might pick up when Paul Sorvino appears as an aging lounge singer, but he's gone 5 minutes later. The only inspired section of this film is the final credits which are super-imposed over newsreels showing the demolition of numerous old casinos. If you *really* want to see a dark, depressing meditation on Vegas life, check out Paul Thomas Anderson's HARD EIGHT.

That this movie was actually MADE testifies to two sad facts: 1) A truly terrible script will be produced if you can get it hyped and attached; and 2) The skill of an actor is in acting, NOT picking scripts! Scene by terrible scene, the actors recite cliched lines and enact gratutious behavior (sex and violence a'plenty) that neither move the story forward, or develop character in any emotionally compelling way. Sure, there's plenty of raw feeling in the overwrought expository lines for William Macy and Alec Baldwin to chew on, but the garish unreality of this Vegas fantasy story makes you wonder about what superhuman powers of self deception writer director Wayne Kramer possesses to have actually made this film, and what snake oil ingredients he's assembled to get this dreck swallowed by industry pros. I don't want to give away the ending for those of you interested in personally experiencing the worst produced screenplay of the year; but if you think each scene can't get worse, wait till you witness the "deus ex machina" happy ending with the traffic cop; you won't know wheter to laugh or cry. (So don't worry, you'll be suprised; it DOES get worse!)

I enjoyed this movie. Wonderful performances all over, especially by Baldwin and Macy. Also, I felt intrigued by the character that Baldwin portrayed - a bad guy for whom you feel sorry. You don't see that every day, in your typical run-of-the-mill Hollywood movie. So why didn't it receive more than a six from me? One word: Predictability. All the supposedly interesting little plot-twists, you could see them coming a mile away. Also, the dialogue was at times somewhat cliché ("You don't have any real friends" or "I think I love you. No, wait. I'm *sure* I love you." - lines like these are going to come out goofy, even from the mouths of great actors.

"The Cooler" has really divided viewers. Some, definitely not all, are taken with William H. Macy's first-ever sexy role where he shows his buns (and a bit more) as Bernie the Cooler, a key employee at the Shangri-la, a Las Vegas casino a bit shopworn and out of touch with the latest and hottest on the Strip. A cooler is a guy who shows up by the side of a punter on a long winning streak and, somehow, extinguishes his luck merely by hanging around the table and acting like a klutz. Maria Bello is a cocktail waitress, Natalie, relegated to the low end of the casino where elderly day trippers bet small amounts. Feeling sorry for her, and perhaps a bit attracted, Bernie gets her transferred to the big spender zone where, presumably, tips are better. One thing leads to another and - wow - Macy is, according to a few of my female friends, a heck of a lot sexier than, say, a wannabe babe magnet like Brad Pitt. Running the casino is Shelley, Alec Baldwin. Shelley has a problem: the casino's investors (a euphemism) want to tear down the place and build a new, modern joint that will pack in the younger high rollers. A sentimentalist at heart, as well as a gangster, Shelley wants Shangri-la - which does turn a profit as he points out to the guys demanding change - to stick it out as the last classy, old style casino. This is the stuff of eyeball to eyeball confrontation. Natalie is the catalyst for a change in Bernie's luck - and lust. From an initially awkward conjoining, the two fall deeply in love and find they're in synch in the sack. So she's no longer a catalyst, she's the Significant Other. Bernie has some family issues with his lackluster son and Natalie has to deal with problems with Shelley that would merit a lawsuit about a hostile workplace . Shelley - poor guy - really needs a dedicated cooler, Bernie is the best and he knows, he thinks, how to insure renewed employee dedication. No Nevada gaming authority or cops here - this casino seems to be in a parallel universe where the honchos make their own rules independent of even the semblance of regulation. There can't really be a Shangri-la like this place in Las Vegas (I'm sort of sure). Macy delivers a terrific performance as a schlepp who finds he has the heart of if not a lion at least a fierce tabby. Bello handles the shifting moods of her character very well-she's a good actress. And very pretty. Baldwin turns in a predictably dependable job as a tired mobster/businessman who holds true to values rejected by the new generation of Organized Crime wiz kids (one persistent pest sent to remake the casino is dismissed as a "Harvard turd"). All in all, a good movie especially because it showcases Macy in an unexpected role where he demonstrates the depth of his enormous acting ability. WARNING: Very explicit sexuality and some in-your-face brutality. Not for kids. 7/10.

Maria Bello is mesmerizing in this movie! After I watched this for the first time, I couldn't get her beauty and her character out of my head. She has caught my eye once before on the movie "Payback" with Mel Gibson, and then this movie and the other movies I have seen with her in were somewhat disappointing. Yet, in "The Cooler", she gives the kind of performance that should bust her career wide open, but I don't think it ever happened, which is very sad. Looking at many of the leading ladies in the current state of movies, and all I see is perfect stars that don't have any depth of character. Yes, I know many actress are doing good stuff, but Maria has something special, something thats hard to explain, but there is no doubt in my mind that she has a lot of it. In conclusion to my boast of Maria Bello...I truly believe that a woman with her talent and beauty should be the lead actor in movies! I think the era of Julia Roberts is over...all hail Maria Bello! ;)

This film directed by Wayne Kramer has a more realistic approach to what goes on in casinos and other seedy gambling places, a far cry to the new Disneylike-Las Vegas of today. Just to think that this poor loser Bernie can attract the gorgeous Natalie is enough for him to think: Gee, what's wrong with this picture?...Bernie hasn't scored with a babe in quite a while, so when he gets so lucky in bed, it's the moment to call it quits and take the next Greyhound out of town because things like that can only happen to schmucks, or in this case, to this 'cooler', as his boss calls him. One has to really have an open mind to even think this Natalie will fall in love with Bernie. The idea of how people can be jinxed by these casino reptilians is a thing not to be believed. If it exists, I don't know, not being into gambling, but then, the world of gamblers are full of superstitions. William H. Macy is an actor that is always interesting to watch. His Bernie is a flawed character, but inside he is a decent person who wants to get out of his present occupation. Maria Bello is excellent as the woman who will stand by her man. The real surprise of the film is Alec Baldwin. This is, without a doubt, the best role in quite a while for him. His Shelly is a man without scruples who is ruthless with those that dare to cross him. He actually deserves better material where he can excel. This film was a pleasant surprise because of the acting that Mr. Kramer has elicited from his cast.

source: The Cooler

The filmmakers apparently were trying to do for Las Vegas here what Louise Malle did for "Atlantic City" in his masterpiece from 1980. "The Cooler" falls far short of that work of art. Thankfully some engaging interplay between Macy and Bello (a nice surprise here) keep the film watchable, though their performances are hindered by a weak screenplay and uninspired direction. Poor Alec Baldwin (who somehow muscled an Oscar nod out of this) seems like a caricature of an old-school Vegas thug. The biggest disappointment is the predictability of the romance which is supposed to be the centerpiece of this film about people down on their luck and looking for a way out. In the end, this film is a bigger loser than the characters it presents to us.

I saw this at Sundance. The best thing is that was done with digital cameras as one of the first of the new indy scene. The bad thing is that it takes a promising premise and makes a really trite movie with it, full of cliched characters and bad dialogue. Alec Baldwin is in love with himself, Bill Macy plays Bill Macy for the tenth time this year, and all the women in the movie are waitress-whores. It will go straight to video, or get a small release and then to cable. It doesn't deserve that, but the faces in the movie dictate it.

I thought this was a good movie. Not the best I've seen this year - but worth the $10. There were several stories, cleverly interwoven - and I know that I'll still be thinking about why some of the characters did the things they did ten years from now. The movie is ostensibly about a man who is given a job in a casino as a luck-turner - a 'cooler'. Supposedly this character is the ultimate loser - no one standing next to him stands a chance at winning. Until he falls in love... However, I thought it had some deeper tones. The harsh look at the gentrification of Vegas, and the interesting observations about what makes a loser, or a winner, were worthwhile. I'd say it's worth renting at the very least. Don't go for the camera work, though. The sex scenes were beautifully shot, but most of the rest of the movie's cinematography seemed uninspired somehow. However, it was a good story.