The Cooler

Rating:
Summary: Vegas, Lady Luck, and some fine acting...
Review: Beautifully photographed in an unvarnished Vegas, William H. Macy plays "the cooler" in an old-school casino. Employed by the Casino manager (Alec Baldwin), the cooler brings bad luck to a hot table or a gambler on a roll. The bad karma emanating from Macy is visceral. Everything in his life is dead or dying. His contract in Vegas is days from coming to a close and he intends to get out - fast.

Then, a seemingly chance encounter with a cocktail waitress (Maria Bello) changes everything. They fall for each other - hard. And the cooler's dance with lady luck begins anew.

Plagued by a bunch of serious plot holes, the script is probably the weakest link in the film. Macy, Baldwin and Bello are each outstanding in their respective roles, salvaging - with sheer determination and skill - what could have been a disaster. Because they are so believable... we believe: in the possibilities that love brings... and lady luck.

Rating:
Summary: Is "Luck" real or superstition?
Review: That is the primary question, the central theme of this movie that I grappled with all the way to the end. I had to suspend my cynical ideas and accept the idea that "Luck" is very real and is subject to one's own positive or negative perspective. Well, enough of my philosophy on the subject, let's get to the movie. I wanted to rent this film for one reason, Alec Baldwin. He was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and he is easily the most memorable character in this story. But without his presence the movie struggles to stay afloat. If you are one to embrace the idea that "Luck" is a genuine, governing factor in our lives, then this movie could be seen as well above average. But I was feeling that this film forces the idea on the viewer, as if to say, "Accept it or the movie will fail." As for the acting, Alec Baldwin is stellar, but the rest of the cast failed to convince me that they were authentic. Not to mention, the plotting takes a bizarre direction near the end, with a "Happily Ever After" and "Driving off into the Sunset" feel which I just didn't buy into. William H. Macy is a splendid actor, but here it seemed to me that he was just showing up for work and sliding in his punch-card. Maria Bello is passable, as well, though I never felt any chemistry between her and William H. Macy that wasn't forced acting. All in all, this is a decent rental, an okay story. See it for the same reason I was eager to see it. See it for Alec Baldwin's excellent performance, but don't expect much more. Thank you.

Rating:
Summary: Casino - but different...
Review: The Cooler, like so many critically-praised films I wait to see on video, didn't quite live up to its expectations. It's a good movie, but not great. It starts with the unique premise (possibly true) that in Old School Las Vegas, "coolers" - people with bad luck - were employed by the casinos to bring bad luck to the gamblers. William H. Macy gives another wonderful performance as the eponymous cooler. He is about to quit his job when he falls in love with a beautiful young cocktail waitress. Suddenly, his luck turns from bad to good. I have to say that we get more nude shots of Macy in this film than I ever wanted to see. I read that they were going to cut them out to get a different MPAA rating but Macy protested. He felt that, at the age of fifty, it was about time that he finally got to do a sex scene.

The best thing about this movie is the supporting performance from Alec Baldwin. He deserved his Best Supporting Actor nomination. Unfortunately, Hollywood had to wait until Baldwin was middle-aged and overweight to realize that he was a good actor.

As for the rest of the movie, I'm afraid that it treads a lot of familiar ground that we have seen in other movies like Casino - or even The Sopranos for that matter. There were many times that I thought the film was going to end, but it kept going. However, it's better than average and makes for a good rental.

Rating:
Summary: The Cooler gets lucky
Review: Even if you're not an aficionado of Las Vegas glitter and sin, THE COOLER is a notable and absorbing drama.

Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) is one of Life's pre-eminent losers, and that's what makes him indispensable to casino owner Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin). Kaplow manages the Shangri-La, an aging and last-of-its-kind gambling hall run the old fashioned way - by the Mob. Shelly employs Bernie to bring his hang-dog demeanor and startlingly bad karma to tables where the punters are on a roll. Bernie's presence immediately turns the winner's luck bad, saving the house from having to make big payouts. Lootz and Kaplow are, um, longtime friends. Several years before, when Bernie had gotten in over his head with gambling debts, Shelly had broken Bernie's kneecap with a baseball bat and had written off Bernie's marker in exchange for indentured servitude at the Shangri-La. While oddly grateful to Shelly for turning his life around, Lootz now has only six days left on his contract, and he announces to Kaplow his intention of leaving Sin City when his time is up. Kaplow, under pressure from his Mob boss to modernize the operation into one of the city's G-rated casinos and improve the bottom line, is desperate to retain Lootz and his unusual talent, and is adamant about keeping the Shangri-La "traditional".

Bernie begins a relationship with cocktail waitress Natalie Belisario (Maria Bello). The steamy sex, the first of any sort that Lootz has had in years, blossoms into Love. Now, when an ebullient Bernie walks the casino floor, Lady Luck is at his side and the winners continue to win. Win big. Vis-a-vis Kaplow, this isn't a good career move, especially after a particularly nasty set of circumstances binds Lootz to his boss for an additional period of servitude.

THE COOLER is Macy's most brilliant performance in an accomplished but largely overlooked career. He even gets to do nude love scenes with Bello. In an interview, Macy commented that he's tried to stay in shape over the years for just that improbable eventuality. Good planning.

Almost stealing the show is Baldwin, who garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Kaplow is polished and charming in a reptilian sort of way, and the violence he's capable of provides the film's most chilling sequences, especially after he catches a high roller cheating at dice.

THE COOLER is a perceptive look both at the gaming industry done Mafia style and the undercurrent of sleaze that most visitors to the Disneyland-style hotel casino's of Vegas probably never notice. The film contains brief scenes of violence not for the overly squeamish, and sex scenes not for the overly prudish. But by the movie's conclusion and its quirky twist of fortune, American audiences, which generally favor the underdog, have in Lootz a new and unlikely hero.

Rating:
Summary: "The Cooler" Is One HOT Film!!
Review: I had been hearing good things about "The Cooler" for some time now, and being a fan of William H Macy's in particular, I figured it would be a nice addition to my fledgling DVD collection. While all the reviews here bring up some good, valid points about strengths and flaws, I would like to add that I found this to be one of the more bittersweet, flat out sexy romances I have seen in a film in quite some time. William H Macy and Maria Bello's characters had a chemistry I wasn't expecting; the fact that they are imperfect in different ways and just wanting to be loved for who they are, made them all the more convincing. True, the sex scenes were graphic, but the real depth of the movie, I feel, came from the two of them revealing deep feelings of past hurts and inadequacy to one another; sharing such thoughts, in many ways, could be considered REAL intimacy...and from this, their love grew. Alec Baldwin is also fantastic as their truly loathsome boss, who is willing to go to any lengths to insure that his casino thrives, no matter how depraved they might be. His come uppance, when it finally does arrive, is nothing short of well earned, on his part. I will also add that like many of the reviewers here, I absolutely loved the soundtrack, and plan on adding it to my cd collection very soon. This was definetly a movie that deserved the praise for some terrific acting as well as a sensual, jazzy score that only helped enhance the whole theme of the film...I look forward to watching it again very soon!! :-)

Rating:
Summary: Unique story comes alive with great performances
Review: The Cooler is based on a unique premise: some people have such bad luck that they pass along their misfortune to everyone with whom they come in contact. Bernie (played by William H. Macy) is such a person, and as an employee at a Las Vegas hotel, it is his job to "cool off" any customer hot streaks. At the start of the movie, Bernie has decided that he has had enough of this life and will be leaving in a week, to the dismay of the hotel's manager, Shelly (Alec Baldwin). But when Bernie unexpectedly finds himself in love, his luck begins to change for the better...which is not necessarily a good thing.

William H. Macy, clearly one of today's premier actors, gives his usual excellent performance. However, he plays downtrodden so easily and naturally that this movie does little to take advantage of his amazing range of talent. More gratifying is Alec Baldwin as Shelly; Baldwin does an remarkable job of portraying the mercenary Shelly's gradual downfall as he attempts to cling to the old Las Vegas ways. This subplot adds a gripping undercurrent of tension to the film as well as provides direction to the main story. Definitely a strong, worthwhile movie.

Rating:
Summary: Luck Be A Lady
Review: Bernie (William H. Macy) is the ultimate Las Vegas loser. Having lost a fortune to casino owner Shelly (Alec Baldwin), he becomes employed by him by destroying the luck of winners with his uncanny ability to transfer 'bad luck'. All Bernie has to do is to stand next to a winner to immediately stop their winning streak. Bernie's life is so full of bad luck he can't even get enough cream out of a coffee creamer. A beautiful waitress named Natalie (Maria Bello) shows a huge interest in Bernie, who becomes suspicious. Does she love him or is this a trick? Suddenly Bernie's luck changes dramatically and he can't jinx anyone. Meanwhile Shelly is being hit up by consultants to modernize his non-profitable casino. The tables get turned and Bernie finds himself wanting to get away with Natalie, but being threatened by Shelly. The plot is simple enough, but the dialogue is genuine and the performances riveting. Even at the climax, there are several shocks and twists, enough 'good' and 'bad' luck to go around for everyone. This is one heck of an entertaining film.

The extras are fairly interesting. You can watch the entire film with only the musical score by Mark Isham. The director's commentary is interesting enough, but the storyboard interaction piece gets tiresome. The illuminating, "Anatomy of a scene" is well worth the watch, however.

Rating:
Summary: disapointing movie
Review: OK, I get it. When William H. Macy's character falls in love, he is no longer cursed with bad luck and he loses his ability to "cool" down hot gamblers. He can even get cream in his coffee.

This move is way too obivous and mechanical, and because of it, it's hard to see the characters as real people. I actually had some sympathy for old-school Alec Baldwin until he turned violent. It might have been interesting if he were portrayed sympathetically, trying to stay alive in a bland, profit-oriented world. Alas, no use for nuance in ths flick.

And the ending - where he reaches in the car and grabs the beer can - was the most remarkably stupid thing I have seen since Joaquin Phoenix swung his baseball bat in Signs.

Rating:
Summary: "Anatomy of a Scene"
Review: This movie is easily one of the best that I have seen in a long while. The other reviews, as a whole, bear out that it should be rated four or five stars - so I will not go there.

I recommend this DVD for the bonus material, "Anatomy of a Scene," alone. It is quite a peek behind the scenes of how the various people involved in making a film work together to (dare I say it) manipulate the viewer and catch us up in the movie.

Rating:
Summary: Dirty Vegas
Review: Great movie about main character Bernie (Wiiliam H Macy) who plays the title role as a gambling "Jonah" employed by Alec Baldwin to circulate his casino, and snuff out any chances of his clientele getting on a winning streak. The plot here is extremely convoluted with a host of well known cameos, and the representation of the seedy Vegas casino life as the backdrop to a romantic yet tense storyline is excellently handled. Without going into too much detail, Bernie inadvertently finds mutual attraction with one of his "marks" which leads to untold complications, and the coming together of several different sub plots. The end result is eclectic, but thoroughly absorbing for the viewer, and the parallels to other great Casino movies are tactfully handled, without overtaking the script. Some strong sexual content, violence and language ensure an R rated audience, and despite the borders of credibility being stretched a little at the end, this is a very polished piece of filmmaking.