Review of The Cooler (2003) by Jennifer A — 24 May 2008

Reviews of The Hoax and The Cooler below....

[b]The Hoax (2007) - 7.4/10[/b].

Director - Lasse Hallstrom.

Starring - Richard Gere, Alfred Molina, Marcia Gay Harden, Hope Davis, Stanley Tucci, Julie Delpy, Eli Wallach.

Set in 1971, Richard Gere stars as Clifford Irving, a struggling writer who desperately wants to get a novel published. When McGraw-Hill declines his latest attempt, he boldly proclaims his next will be "the book of the century". The problem is he doesn't even know what the subject matter will be. At home with wife Edith (Marcia Gay Harden), Irving glances at a magazine cover of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes and a light bulb goes off in his head. With the help of friend Dick Suskind (Alfred Molina), he concocts a plan to write a memoir of Hughes, with the eccentric billionaire's blessing. He and Suskind produce forged letters presumably written by Hughes and Irving is given a rather large advance for his work. Along the way serious doubts arise about Irving's honesty and the book's credibility, but Irving relentlessly manages to maintain the facade.

Director Lasse Hallstrom takes a fascinating true story and turns it into a thoroughly enertaining film. The film is briskly paced, and Hallstrom seamlessly mixes comedy and drama all while making the dubious Irving a sympathetic and highly likable character. Of course it takes a strong performance to pull this off, and Richard Gere is a joy to watch as the scheming writer. It's his best performance in years. However Gere isn't the only actor to shine as Hallstrom has assembled a fine supporting cast. Alfred Molina, as Irving's sidekick, is especially memorable. He delivers some of the film's funniest lines and, unlike Irving, he actually has a conscience. I had fun rooting for these dishonest schemers. I wish there was a wider audience for this type of comedy.

[b]The Cooler (2003) - 6.2/10[/b].

Director - Wayne Kramer.

Starring - William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Alec Baldwin, Ron Livingston, Shawn Hatosy, Paul Sorvino.

William H. Macy stars as Bernie Lootz, an unlucky gambling addict who owes a huge debt to a Las Vegas casino. In order to pay back his debt to mobster/casino owner Shelly (Alec Baldwin) he is hired as a "cooler", which means he's suppose to sit next to High Rollers and give them bad luck. However Bernie's luck begins to change when he meets cocktail waitress Natalie (Maria Bello). They begin an unlikely romance hoping to "escape" but Bernie still owes Shelly.

[i]The Cooler[/i] mixes bits of [i]Leaving Las Vegas[/i] and [i]Casino [/i]but never approaches the emotional rawness of the former or the grand scope of the latter. While the film features fine performances (especially Alec Baldwin) it never really distinguishes itself. This should have been better.