The Cooler Review
by Bob Bloom (bobbloom AT iquest DOT net)February 19th, 2004
THE COOLER (2003) 3 stars out of 4. Starring William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Alec Baldwin, Shawn Hatosy, Ron Livingston, Paul Sorvino, Estella Warren, Arthur J. Nascarella, Joey Fatone and Ellen Greene. Screenplay by Frank Hannah and Wayne Kramer. Directed by Wayne Kramer. Rated R.
Bernie Lootz walks around as if bad luck has his arm around his shoulder.
Bernie is The Cooler, a man who shambles around the casino floor in an ill-fitting suit and, by his very presence, brings bad luck to hot gamblers.
Bernie works at the Shangri-La for Shelly Kaplow, as a way to pay off a huge gambling debt.
Bernie lives alone in a cheap motel room. His wife left him years ago. He has no one. Even his estranged son, Mikey, plays him for a sucker.
But then, unexpectedly, love comes into Bernie’s life in the form of waitress Natalie Belisario and his luck — and that, unfortunately, of the casino’s — begins to change.
This is the premise behind The Cooler, a movie that —like a high-roller on a winning streak — is fun to watch.
And that’s because The Cooler continually and effectively jumps from love story to comedy to drama.
As portrayed by the incomparable William H. Macy, Bernie is a sad sack continually blaming himself for the misfortunes of others.
He cannot believe his good fortune when Natalie comes into his life. His basic pessimism builds a wall that Natalie must dismantle to reach Bernie.
For at heart, Bernie is a decent fellow. Despite all his travails he yearns for happiness and fulfillment just like the rest of us.
And with Natalie he sees his opportunity.
The one obstacle is Shelly. As ferociously portrayed by Alec Baldwin, Shelly is from the old-school of Vegas, before it became a tourist playground run by faceless corporations.
He refuses to adapt to new techniques to increase profits. Despite all logic, he wants Bernie walking the floor, such is his faith in the little man.
Maria Bello displays an honesty and poignancy as Natalie, who sees past Bernie’s loser exterior and falls for the gentle soul within.
The Cooler does contain a few flaws. At a little more than two hours, it runs on too long and the finale is a bit anti-climactic.
Yet this is a performance-driven, not story-driven movie. And the talents of all involved, especially Macy and Baldwin, make this one excursion to Vegas in which you can’t lose.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind.. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or at [email protected]. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal and Courier Web site: www.jconline.com
Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site: www.rottentomatoes.com or at the Internet Movie Database Web site:
www.imdb.com/M/review_by?Bob+Bloom
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