The Cooler

Date Released: November 6, 2003
Director: Wayne Kramer
Cast: William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Alec Baldwin, Ron Livingston, Paul Sorvino
Genre: Drama
Rating: 7.0/10 (IMDB.com)

I had heard a lot about this film from friends and finally got around to watching it. "The Cooler" is about a former gambling addict and bad luck charm named Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) who works for the Shangri-La Casino as a "cooler" under his old friend Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin) in order to pay off an old gambling debt. Bernie, who is quitting his job in seven days, meets a cocktail waitress (Maria Bello) who quickly begins to change his luck.
A cooler is an individual who makes his presence at tables where customers are winning in order to make them loose strictly by chance. Also known as "chillers", the concept itself is hilarious and outdated, but there was a time casinos did employ "bad luck people" in order to stave off winning streaks from customers.
Shelly Kaplow once cured Bernie's gambling problem by shattering his knee with a baseball bat, which Bernie is completely grateful for! Under Kaplow's employment, Bernie is seven days away from finally paying off his gambling debts. His effectiveness as a cooler is jeopardized when he meets a cocktail waitress named Natalie and his luck begins to change. Bernie doesn't know that Kaplow has paid her to fall in love with him in order to get him to stay. While this takes place, Kaplow's running of the casino is called into question by a group of investors who are not happy with the nostalgic ways in which he runs it. Kaplow considers the current Las Vegas to be a "Disneyland mook fest", and refuses to give in to more lucrative based operations.
This is a very entertaining film. There was a lot of controversy with the movie when it was made due to a graphic sex scene involving Maria Bello's character. The MPAA gave the film an NC-17 rating until they edited it out. The film is well acted and well written, and Baldwin is great. I did find the style of the film to be off-putting at times because although it can be humorous, it is very dark and disturbing also. There's a scene where Balwin's character catches and beats a cheater, breaks his legs and kicks his "pregnant" girlfriend in the stomach. You'll see, watch! All in all, a very good film, especially for those that like gambling genres.

My Rating: 7.8/10
Available: DVD

Posted by Matt