The Cooler (2003) R - 3 Stars

I'm beginning to really like the versatility of William Macy's acting. Here he plays a "cooler" someone that once placed next to a winning gambler, will suddenly cool them off and they'll start to loose. He's the best the casino's got until he falls in love with a waitress and the two almost are killed defying their boss.

Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) absolutely sucks at gambling. He has an extremely high debt with the Shangri-La Las Vegas casino of about $100,000 dollars. Bernie and the operations director / mob boss Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin), have an agreement that Bernie will cool off anyone who has started to win big in the casino. It just happens naturally whenever Bernie gets close to another player or tries to gamble himself. His future is bleak, as he's been the cooler in this casino for years now. He's almost paid off his debt and when he meets cocktail waitress Natalie Belisario (Maria Bello).

Natalie doesn't really consider Bernie for much of anything till he defends her honor one night. She rewards him with a night of anything goes sex, and now looks at him in a whole new way. Bernie falls instantly in love with her and as soon as she starts to love him back, his luck improves as does the outlook of his life. Not being able to cool off players anymore, he wants to leave town with Natalie and start a new life. But Shelly can't let him go that easily and blames Natalie for his new stroke of luck. The couple must fight for their love and get out of Vegas at any cost.

Awards:

2003 - The Cooler - National Board of Review - Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
2003 - The Cooler - National Board of Review - Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking

Lions Gate Films
Director: Wayne Kramer
Writers: Frank Hannah, Wayne Kramer
Producers: Sean Furst, Michael Pierce, Lulu Zezza

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