Review of The Cooler (2003) by Ryan D — 09 Jul 2004

So in [i]The Cooler, [/i]William H. Macy is Bernie, a guy who provides bad luck to players on a hot streak, as employed by a Vegas casino. Alec Baldwin, in a role that inexplicably got him nominated for an Academy Award, is the casino manager. Maria Bello, who I have always thought kind of resembles a dogs a**, is the 60-something waitress who falls in love with Bernie.

But, uh-oh, this love makes all of Bernie's bad luck go away, so now he can't properly do his job. When he's around winners at the casino, they just win more. He's IN LOVE, dammit! And this, understandably, aggravates Alec Baldwin so much that he rants interminably and clutches his pudgy little fists into balls of flesh. To thoroughly enjoy this movie, one would have to put logic aside for a moment and assume a couple of things: a)that a casino would actually issue a paycheck to a man whose sole job it was to stand next to winners to let his crappy karma rub off on them, and b) that such an employee is so important to a casino owner that actual acts of violence would be committed to keep the employing from resigning.

This film is a fable, and it's definitely a small film, and Wayne Kramer, the director, must have got a great deal on a crane, because this whole film is just steeped in inordinately obtrusive crane shots. As a character study, it's enjoyable. And it has a fairly sweet nature. So, you know, see it. I guess. If you feel like it.