The Cooler | | Cast : | William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin, Maria Bello | | Director : | Wayne Kramer | | Studio : | Lions Gate Home Entertainment | | Format : | Color | | Released Date : | January 01, 2003 | | DVD Released Date : | February 22, 2005 | | Language : | English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 02, 2005 | | Summary | Once upon a time... | Content
 | It didn't take me very long into my first viewing of THE COOLER to realize that what I was watching was a fairy tale, rather than the action/drama that I had been expecting. However, as fairy tales go, THE COOLER is a rather stylish one and Maria Bello makes a particularly shiny fairy princess, albeit one with a dirty face in the early part of this movie. The subject of this particular fairy tale are the mythical properties of luck and the moral of the story--if you wish to call it that--is the redemptive power of love. The subject and moral are not particularly profound; however they are quite appropriate to the genre.
William H. Macy plays (as he often does) the loveable loser (Bernie), perpetually down on his luck to the extent that his bad luck perpetuates itself to all those unfortunate enough to be in his immediate vicinity. The malediction surrounding Bernie is consistent enough to be of use to Shelly (Alec Baldwin), the old-school casino owner and ogre of this fairy tale. Shelly employs Bernie to haunt his casino turning hot tables cold and winners into losers.
The initially unlikely coupling of Bernie and Natalie (the cocktail waitress) causes a disturbance in Bernie's dark force, causing his powers to become diminished and inconsistent. Her eventual declaration of love to him turns his luck around completely to the extent that those now fortunate enough to be in his vicinity instantly become winners, etc. Naturally, Shelly is none too pleased with this turn of events.
As you can guess by this review, THE COOLER is a different kind of movie than your standard Hollywood fare. At its core, however, it is a very standard (and somewhat sweet) love story, though the hero and heroine of this love story are surrounded by the considerable amount of evil that is always present in the most gothic of fairy tales. In the end, this is a very satisfying film for those enjoy something just a little bit different.
Jeremy W. Forstadt
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| Rating | | | Date | July 18, 2005 | | Summary | I Was A Total Loser Until This HOT Woman Had Sex With Me!!! | Content
| In this movie William H. Macy plays Bernie, a loser who can't even get a decent cup of coffee. Bernie's Casino boss is such a good friend that he crippled him when he couldn't pay his gambling debts but they still have a good relationship. Most guys I know would be applying for their Shooter's Licence if anybody maimed them so badly but not Bernie.Bernie is considered to be a great assett to the Casino by Shelley The Boss Man but for some reason he doesn't even give Bernie a free room at his Casino to live in so Bernie lives is a seedy Motel instead. No doubt the producers of this movie wanted to constantly remind the viewer of just what a loser Bernie really is which I had figured out (all by myself) in the first ten minutes of this movie.Bernie's luck changes and he even gets a decent cup of coffee when he starts dating a drink waitress played by Maria Bello. This movie seems to be sending out the message to all of the Major League Geeks and Losers in this world that you are NOTHING until you have a beautiful woman by your side. Sadly this does not happen too often in REAL LIFE. I give this movie 5 stars because Maria Belllo is so good in it. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 09, 2005 | | Summary | Do You Believe In Magic? | Content
| One charming premise of this film is that "Old" Las Vegas was something worth saving, or at least remembering. "New" Las Vegas just has no soul...
What utter B.S.
Each Las Vegas, old and new, has the soul of a panderer and the conscience of a pedophile.
Well, at least that's what I thought until I saw this movie and was charmed by one (and really only one) dimension of its premise: magic.
William Macy's character is so unlucky that his bad luck not only defies the law of averages but is contagious. A superstitious "old-time" casino owner hires him for this trait, keeping him captive by his gambling debts. Once the debt is paid, he will leave, but...
What's really important about the scenario is magic. When the movie depicts the magic that will happen, it really acquires a special quality of its own. More distinct, though, is how Alec Baldwin's casino owner dies out of respect for magic. It is a most puzzling act of self-effacement - a sort of martyrdom. Or maybe just giving up, I don't know.
Anyway, it's a real sleeper of a movie. You'll love it. At least if all else fails, like the guy says a few reviews ago, your wife will like the sex scenes. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 08, 2005 | | Summary | Stars shine in gritty Vegas movie | Content
| 'The Cooler' is the best Vegas movie since 'Casino' and is in many ways a better film. An engrossing story, top-notch performances by William H. Macy and Maria Bello in a story about a professional loser in an old-style casino far from the Bellagio. But the revelation (again) is Alex Baldwin, playing a connected casino boss with a combination of charm and thuggery that just must be seen - and earned him an Oscar nomination. He should have won. Don't miss this entirely original thrilling movie. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 28, 2005 | | Summary | Vegas, Baby | Content
| This film plays like an independent film--and it is, for all I know. THE COOLER is about that sordid strata of Vegas below the glam-fest of the rich and the amusement park rides of the "family-friendly" Sin City.
But it has an excellent cast playing believable characters (Macy, Bello and Baldwin are each fantastic), so it's actually a cut above most independent films.
And it's better written than most indie films: characters are introduced at first seem like the usually-meaningless "character studies" of indie films--but in THE COOLER, their presence ends up meaning something to the story.
It might be about the losers of Vegas, but THE COOLER is a winner.
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