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Overall Rating
  Awesome: 26.97%
Worth A Look: 48.31%
Average: 6.74%
Pretty Bad: 16.85%
Total Crap: 1.12%
8 reviews, 41 user ratings
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| Cooler, The |
by Brian McKay
"If William Macy is The Cooler, then Maria Bello is The Hottie"

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If William H. Macy has ever given a bad performance, I have yet to see it. Despite his Howdy-Doody looks and generally soft-spoken and hesitant persona, he proves himself leading man material once again in THE COOLER - even if he gets the show nearly stolen out from under him by Alec Baldwin.Macy is Bernie Lootz, a washed-up loser who owes substantial gambling debts to casino manager Shelly Kaplow (Baldwin). After breaking his kneecap, Shelly allows Bernie to work off the debt by employing him as a "cooler" in his casino. The concept behind this is that Bernie is such a bad-luck, down-in-the-dumps loser that his bad luck rubs off onto others. Bernie circulates from table to table, spreading general malaise and killing winning streaks left and right.
If this sounds something like the Spanish film Intacto, in which "luck thieves" would steal the good luck of others and use it for their own gain, the similarities are superficial at best. While Intacto was a thriller exploring the supernatural gift of stealing luck, The Cooler is more of an observation on how bad luck is the result of self-fulfillment.
When Bernie's debt is almost paid off, he gives Shelly his week's notice with plans to get out of Vegas for good. Then he meets white trash cocktail waitress Natalie (Maria Bello), and finds that everything is changing. Suddenly his luck is on the rise, and while falling in love is great for Bernie, his newfound happiness isn't exactly conducive to his performance as a cooler. Suddenly Bernie is spreading joy instead of despondency - much to Shelly's chagrin.
Although it occasionally lapses into moments of near-TV-movie melodrama, The Cooler is a solid piece overall. Macy and Baldwin are strong in their roles (although I could have done without all those shots of Macy's ass), and the supporting roster includes Paul Sorvino as a heroin-addict lounge singer, and Ron Livingston as the syndicate consultant who frequently clashes with Shelly over ways to "improve" the casino.
One of the brightest points of The Cooler is Maria Bello's Natalie, whose on-screen relationship with Bernie never feels forced or contrived. And although slightly haggard-looking blonde cocktail waitresses aren't my usual preference, God damn that is one sexy woman. Thankfully, a peek or two at her naughty bits is the payoff for having to see Macy's bum, which almost left me as traumatized as the infamous Dennis Franz ass shot on N.Y.P.D. Blue.Although some of Bernie's turns of luck seem far fetched (especially that last one), they work within the overall structure of the film's premise, which is that luck works in conjunction with attitude and disposition, and not always dependant on the caprice of fate. Or something like that.
link directly to this review at http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=6884&reviewer=258 originally posted: 11/23/03 08:37:25
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This film is available for download or online viewing at CinemaNow.com For more in the CinemaNow.com series, click here.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2003 Sundance Film Festival. For more in the 2003 Sundance Film Festival series, click here.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2003 Starz Denver Film Festival. For more in the 2003 Starz Denver Film Festival series, click here.
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USA 26-Nov-2003 (R) DVD: 27-Apr-2004
UK N/A
Australia 20-May-2004 (MA)
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