‘The Cooler’ hot on screen
“The Cooler” premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, and sparked a bidding war so intense that numerous studio execs reportedly were willing to sell their souls for the distribution rights … if they still had souls, that is. It’s easy to understand why, because tyro writer-director Wayne Kramer’s lowdown on the desperate lives of lost souls in Las Vegas is easily one of the best bets this year. Like a vintage smoking jacket, “The Cooler” makes us feel hep and mysterious when we slide it on. It’s a dirty nail of a picture that generously scratches that lingering itch for the hard-luck stories of Everyman.
William H. Macy may very well have been put on this earth to play Bernie Lootz, a dyspeptic serial loser so unlucky, his mere presence can cool off the hottest gaming tables on The Strip. His almost surreal misfortune makes Bernie a valuable commodity to his old pal Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin), an old school manager of the timeworn Shangri-La casino with a penchant for breaking kneecaps. Bernie’s spent many years in Shelly’s coerced employ, paying off a massive gambling tab by cooling off gamblers at the Shangri-La. But with only a week to go before the debt is finally square, Bernie has his sights set on leaving Las Vegas behind. Shelly, however, isn’t about to give up his unlucky charm easily, especially with a hotshot young consultant (Ron Livingston) brought in by the casino investors breathing down his neck. Enter Natalie (Maria Bello), a sexy cocktail waitress who doubles-down on Bernie’s blackjack heart and comes up aces. With love comes good fortune for Bernie — or so it seems until the surprising denouement.
Macy is one of the finest actors in the business, and here, he gives as good as he ever has. Equally impressive are the inspired performances of Baldwin and Bello, who make the most of their complex roles. It begins as a gritty movie about sad saps stuck in a bad way, but in the end “The Cooler” ups the ante and becomes an uplifting testament to the transformative power of love. (Rated R for strong sexuality, violence, language and some drug use. Running time: 101 minutes)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 19, 2003. Read the original PDF.