The Cooler
“The Cooler” is really two movies. One is a sharply written and acted love story between William H. Macy and Maria Bello, two damaged people wandering through the endless night of Las Vegas. The other is a thickheaded melodrama about the rundown casino where Macy and Bello work, run by old-style thug Alec Baldwin. The first is a pleasure; the second is not.
Macy is great as usual as Bernie, a “cooler” who gives casino winners a shot of bad luck just by being near them. And Bello, who I had only seen before in about five minutes of “ER,” is fantastic as the damaged casino waitress Natalie. When they are on screen, you watch and wait and wonder with great anticipation. It’s an off-kilter love story that deserves its own movie.
Unfortunately, we also have to spend a lot of time with Baldwin’s casino manager, and it ends up feeling like “Goodfellas” put on by community theater. I understand you need conflict to make a movie. But it seems to me Macy and Bello provide plenty of that already, in subtle and refreshing ways. Baldwin putting the mafia-style hurt on various characters just ends up being a distraction.
Overall, though, I would definitely recommend this movie. I just wish they had had the confidence to let the romance take center stage.
I saw those previews and thought it was odd that they went on and on about Baldwin and the female but never, ever said anything about that guy from Fargo, even thought they show him in numerous shots during the commercial.
Adam, Finally we agree on a movie. I must admit that I enjoyed the second movie more tham you did. Also I probably have not seen as many “Goodfellas” movies as you so I enjoyed it. You also had to have some reference to the “old vegas” cause the “new vegas” woulld never use a coolers.
i saw this movie today liked the girl, overall disappointed