Drama, Rated R.
Director: Wayne Kramer. 
Writers: Wayne Kramer, Frank Hannah. 
Cast: William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin, Maria Bello.

“The Cooler” is the story of Bernie Lootz, an unlucky man whose string of misfortunes hang over his head like a dark cloud, infecting anyone within arm’s reach.  Working at Vegas’ rundown Shangri-La casino, whenever a gambler is on a hot-streak, Bernie jinxes them, simply by standing nearby.  It’s what he does best, tried and true, there’s nobody better at cooling people down than Bernie, that is until the magical day when he falls in love and his own luck changes from bad to good.

William H. Macy (“Fargo,” “Door to Door”) portrays the loveable loser Bernie, a nice enough guy, who has seen the pitfalls of women who didn’t love him, a deadbeat estranged son who doesn’t respect him, and a pet cat that would rather be homeless than live with him.  Bernie’s only friend is his boss, the Shangri-La’s criminally inclined manager, Shelly Kaplow, intensely played by Alec Baldwin (“Ghosts of Mississippi”).  Maria Bello (“Duets”) is a spiritual cocktail waitress named Natalie Belisario, the woman who not only becomes the love of Bernie’s life, but also changes his bad luck streak, much to Shelly’s dismay when the casino starts losing profits because of Bernie’s good fortunes.  The movie becomes a tug of war between Shelly and Natalie struggling to control Bernie’s karma, with him in the middle, delicately weighing the issues of love versus friendship, happiness versus devotion, and the general question of whether there is such a thing as Lady Luck.

Macy, Baldwin, and Bello are all excellent actors and provide a lot of textured characterization to a script that needed some more polishing.  In addition to those three, “The Cooler” is rounded out by a fine supporting cast, including: Ron Livingston, Shawn Hatosy, Estella Warren, Joey Fatone, and Paul Sorvino.  And, though, Macy nicely portrays the title character, it’s really Baldwin who stands out, as he sinks his sharp teeth into the role of the heavy, making you cringe at his every violent mannerism.

Wayne Kramer directed and co-wrote “The Cooler,” a movie that constantly walks a fine line between drama and romantic comedy.  For one moment would show Macy and Bello lovingly interlocked, when the next would be a literal bone-breaking scene with Baldwin behind the R-rated carnage.  It’s an uneven balancing act that doesn’t always succeed.  Kramer also doesn’t give his audience enough credit, as he spoon feeds symbolism and provides tired plot points and cliched characters and settings.  Luckily, for Kramer, he obtained a talented cast that was able to parlay his penny ante into a winning jackpot. 

Bottom line.  Should you see “The Cooler”?  Yes or No?  Yes. 

Review by Chad Goldich