There's no better setting than Las Vegas to tell the story of a loser made good, and in Hollywood no one plays a loser better than William H Macy (Jurassic Park III). In Wayne Kramer's The Cooler he rolls the dice in a game of love, but the gamble lands him in more trouble than he bargained for. A pleasingly old-fashioned Vegas fairytale, it lends a sobering, contemporary edge to well-worn clich茅s.
Bernie Lootz (Macy) is so shrouded in bad luck it's contagious for anyone stood nearby. Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin) is the casino owner who exploits Bernie's affliction by hiring him as a "cooler" - a professional wet blanket to dampen things down whenever punters hit a hot streak. And it works a dream until Bernie scores a hot date with pretty cocktail waitress Natalie (Maria Bello). After a night of lovemaking, Bernie feels like he's hit the jackpot. But when that feeling spreads across the casino floor, Shelly is forced into brutally drastic action.
"COMPLEX AND ENGAGING CHARACTERS"
A hard-luck Joe, his tart-with-a-heart, and the mad dog casino owner... you've seen them in countless other Vegas fables. Yet director Wayne Kramer and co-writer Frank Hannah deal away the top cards to reveal characters that are complex and engaging.
Humanity shines through, most powerfully in the case of Shelly, played by an electrifying (and Oscar-nominated) Alec Baldwin - lashing around the screen like a broken power cable. As Natalie, Maria Bello is a bundle of raw nerves exposed, while William H Macy's innate Everyman quality provides firm foundations for a narrative that's otherwise as delicate as a house of cards.
It's carefully put together, but the plot is easily knocked apart by a couple of surreal twists towards the end. Since the story is chiefly about learning to overcome insecurities, the late intervention of dumb luck is a tricky hand to play. Consequently there's a chance you'll come away from The Cooler feeling slightly cheated. With its trio of standout performances, though, it's a gamble worth taking.
The Cooler (2004)
