:
Robin Bonaccorsi,
Dan Lemieux,
Casey Easlick,
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:
Wayne Kramer,
Wayne Kramer
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: 
: Lions Gate
: Drama, Romance
: 102 min.
: English
: English, Spanish
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Writer/director Wayne Kramer offers a glimpse into the aging Las Vegas casino world with the romantic drama The Cooler. Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) is extremely unlucky at gambling, and he owes the Shangri-La casino over 100,000 dollars. He is so unlucky that he is hired as a "cooler," someone to gamble next to high rollers and give them some of his bad luck to stop them from winning. This arrangement works out for awhile, until Bernie has almost paid off his debt and meets cocktail waitress Natalie Belisario (Maria Bello). The two start to fall in love and Bernie's luck begins to change. However, the old-fashioned mob boss Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin) isn't going to let Bernie go so easily. Meanwhile, Larry Sokolov (Ron Livingston) arrives on the scene to help update the business management of the old mobster-run casino. Also starring Joey Fatone and Paul Sorvino as lounge singers. The Cooler was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the dramatic competition at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Special Features:
- Director and Crew Commentaries
- Anatomy of a Scene
- Storyboard Comparisons
- 5.1 Music Only Track
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| More Miss Than Hit
by randomcha
March 17, 2006 - 7:28 AM PST
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2 out of 3 members found this review helpful
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| An ingenious set-up is sadly wasted in this unsatisfying film. The setup? Macy plays a loser who transfers his bad luck to anything he comes into contact with; he works at a Vegas casino "cooling" any lucky streaks. A brilliant idea that could have been developed many ways: a cynical rumination on fate; a goofy satire of Vegas; even a sweet-natured fairy tale (he meets a waitress and falls in love). Instead, the script makes the very uninteresting choice of having every character a stereotypical cipher, chained to the contrived machinery of a predictable plot. Which could very well have worked as a comedy (think Preston Sturges, or even Frank Tashlin). But instead we're treated to nasty, unecessary bouts of violence and swearing. So the film ends up neither here nor there. The actors certainly can't be faulted: Macy, Balwdin and especially Bello dig into their parts with relish and consistently contribute interesting bits. But the film just doesn't gel. An "oh come on" ending doesn't help either. Oh well. Stick with "Hard Eight," "Casino," or even "California Split" if you want to see it done right. |
| rating from a non-believer
by DNorris
September 24, 2004 - 4:06 PM PDT
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3 out of 5 members found this review helpful
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| I tend to escape into movies but when they diverge too far from reality, I become bored and turn off. There is such a thing as too much poetic license, but I found this movie entertaining to watch since the premise was original. I don't think I've seen a story like this and William Macy is pathically wonderful. |
| Cool
by talltale
May 15, 2004 - 1:07 PM PDT
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4 out of 5 members found this review helpful
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| To fully enjoy THE COOLER, it's recommended that you simply go along with the movie's message about luck. Similar to but not as dark as the recent Spanish film "Intacto," this one posits that there are people among us who--without even trying--bring others bad or good luck. Nicely filmed and sporting characters who, at their best, are still a little seedy, the movie has a terrific "look," capturing Las Vegas' seamier side, as well as its ersatz glamour. Maria Bello and Wm. H. Macy are wonderful together; it's great to see sex scenes that feature adults! Alec Baldwin creates a complex bad/good guy; he deserved that recent Academy Award nomination for this role. Look for nice cameos from pros like Paul Sorvino and Ellen Greene, too. "The Cooler" is a winner--in a number of ways. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.37)
264 Votes
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