The Cooler
Reviewed by Shelley Cameron For Reel Movie Critic
HHH ½
Cast
William H. Macy	Bernie Lootz
Alec Baldwin	Shelly Kaplow
Maria Bello	Natalie Belisario
Directed by Wayne Kramer. Drama. Rated R. 101 minutes.

This modern American tragedy, populated by characters that live in the emotional margins of life, is more than it seems at first glance. Before it's over, the losers may come out on top. Bill Macy has a hang dog presence, ideally projecting a sad sack. He's on the mark as Bernie Lootz, whose perpetual bad luck is a perfect fit for his career as a "cooler." The mere touch of his hand on a crap table or black jack game turns winners into washouts.

In the casino game, where superstitions and house odds rule, and even a ruthless insider is a mark, Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin), general director of the Golden Shangri La, knows Bernie is worth his weight in gold. The pair goes back a long way and Shelly's cynical capacity to use up everyone around him has been the basis for their relationship. Bernie is in hock to the club and to Shelly for a large gambling debt and has been paying it off by chilling shooters on a hot streak. Under the jaundiced eye of Shelley, whose old school style of muscle management is a holdover from the early days in Las Vegas, Bernie can't win for losing.

When Bernie forms an unlikely liaison with sexy waitress Natalie (Maria Bello), his luck starts to change. A few days short of Bernie's fulfillment of his commitment to the club, a young hotshot (Ron Livingston) from the home office arrives at the Shangri La, bringing 21st century business ideas to update the dated casino. The ensuing clashes between old conventions and new is the catalyst for more than one major shake up.

In many ways, Shelly has the traits of a tragic hero. His fatal flaw is his inability to understand that he can't outsmart the whole world. He can't let anyone close enough to really effect him. Exposing Shelly's sharp mind and misogynist attitudes, Baldwin plays him with controlled hostility that is dead on target. Good performances all around improve the screenplay, most notably from Bello, whose imperfect beauty fleshes out the flinty sweetness in Natalie, and the chemistry between she and Macy works unexpectedly well. Rounding out the cast are Paul Sorvino and Joey Fatone, both singers in the club's Paradise Lounge, representing opposite ends of the spectrum: the old rat packer and the hip young pop star ready to take his place. An original jazz trumpet heavy score by Mark Isham and smoky vocal standards by Diana Krall underscore the hollow tinsel and glitz atmosphere in the casino, where there are no clocks and time doesn't exist. Visual effects neatly fuse scenes together and add spark to the good-looking production design. The closing shots under the credits are an unexpected and fully fitting conclusion to this Las Vegas turnaround.