Nice effects though.

An absolute waste of money

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The Cooler is the movie "Casino" with heart. Bernie Lootz, the main character in The Cooler, has such bad luck that he can make your great luck instantly go bad. All he has to do is touch a hot gaming table to make it go cold. Really cold. Lootz lives by himself at the cheap in every way Better Life motel where his cat runs away, his flowers always die, and he has to listen to the guy next door screwing a hooker. The poor guy can't even get cream for his coffee when he works.Bernie gets paid to spread his miserable luck to the gaming tables at the Shangra-LA Casino, an old school, downtown casino that is out of touch with the business plan, and profits, of the contemporary Disneyland, family vacation style of Las Vegas. Shangri-La is run by Shelly Kaplow, a ruthless, mob-linked manager whose utter lack of ethics has no bounds.Things change because Bernie is going to leave Las Vegas in a few days. Turns out Shelly and Bernie go back decades, all the way back to when Shelly broke one of Bernie's knees over a gambling debt. They have remained partners and as close to friends as either man can stand. Shelly hires Natalie, a cute cocktail waitress and once in a while hooker, to lure Bernie to continue to work at Shangri-La.The performances in this film are extraordinary. William H. Macy as Bernie offers as brilliant a performance as an actor can achieve in any role. I had never head of Maria Bello until I saw this film for the first time a few years ago. Her Natalie is stunning, absolutely stunning. It includes nuances few actresses can accomplish, plus she has that smile, that gorgeous, gorgeous smile. Alec Baldwin gives perhaps his best performance ever as the thoroughly amoral casino manager who has no qualms about breaking knees or serving fatal doses of heroin to his lounge singer. He deservedly achieved an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actor. Ron Livingston, who gained fame as Capt. Nixon in Band of Brothers, plays Harvard educated Larry Solokov, a whiz kid who is going to transform the Shangri-La into a Steven Wynn type casino.The Cooler is a special film, in part, because of the themes it successfully addresses, and the manner in which it addresses them; friendship, child abandonment, the true definition of luck, and what constitutes love. The lighting, cinematography, and music all contribute significantly to the film's essence. The screen literally lights up when Bernie and Natalie feel their connection.There is a scene in which Shelly catches Bernie's appalling son, Mikey, convincingly played by Shawn Hatosy, cheating at the craps table. Shelly violently maims Mikey the same way he permanently injured Bernie. It's as brutal a scene as it is effective. But there is also a very touching love scene is which Bernie and Natalie connect in every way lovers can.

Decent enough film about a man who's luck is so bad (William H. Macy) he's hired as a "cooler" for a casino, someone whose mere presence near a gaming table can put the kibosh on a winning streak.A bit of good luck drifts into his life in the guise of Maria Bello, who would be good luck for anyone, but a big slice of bad luck hounds him in the shape of Alec Baldwin, a gangster thug who would be bad luck for anyone. Things go from bad to worse in a mildly engaging but not very memorable movie.Baldwin received an Oscar nomination for his performance and Bello was considered a sure thing for a nomination, but she was strangely left off the shortlist when nominations that year were announced.Grade: B

It's a real travesty that the TV guide has this film listed in the Drama genre because "The Cooler" was clearly conceived as a comedy. . . maybe. I don't know. Perhaps this was supposed to be written seriously in the beginning and the writers ran out of plot points and had to switch at the last minute. I doubt it because, with everything else that counts--dialog, playing to classic noir tropes, and coming up with great comedic moments of comeuppance for these beat-down characters--they hit the screenplay out of the park.What further helps sell the film is the acting, lead by William H. Macy, whom I feel is the next Cary Grant. While Grant was continually typecasts as the suave protagonist, Macy constantly gets the role of the loser whether it be this or "Magnolia". They both play to their strengths excellently, but both also has the ability to step and prove themselves outside of these roles (Macy did wonders in "Andersonville"). Alec Baldwin and Mario Bello don't really step out that much, but they are given great lines and deliver them with equal greatness as Macy.But, as far as the story goes, yeah, I think this plays out better if you take it with a grain of salt. Macy's character's strength in this film is luck, and whenever you add a bit of magic, it also comes with a bit of silliness. This magic, however, is handled great in the final battle, which brings something completely new to the table (no pun intended) by making it completely dependent on that luck and out of the hero's hands.Even with it's great execution, the very end does drag its feet a bit and I'm pretty sure I laughed at some moments I wasn't supposed to (at least I don't think you're supposed to laugh at expositional confessions about lost children. . .) Anyway, those are only minor nitpicks for a fun film of which I consider essential lazy Sunday evening viewing. Don't miss it.

Wayne Kramer has made remarkable cinema in 'The Cooler'. 'The Cooler' is about a 'Cooler' and his twisted life. It's film that grows on you, it's a film that succeeds in it's mission. Remarkable Direction by Kramer is the mainstay of this 'COOL' film.'The Cooler' is one of those rare films, that have a terrific start, a terrific middle and a terrific end as well. Sure it does few it's share of minuses, but at the end of the day, it's an exceptional film.Coming right away to the acting department, Alec Baldwin is fantastic in a supporting role. William H. Macy essays a very difficult part with remarkable ease and understanding! He's a great actor, hope he gets his due soon. Maria Bello looks stunning as usual and delivers a terrific performance from start to end. Shawn Hatosy and Estella Warren are passable.I just loved 'The Cooler'... so from my side, Two Thumbs Up!