Raetsonwe Redundant and unnecessary.

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Glimmerubro It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Isbel A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

SnoopyStyle Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) works in the old fashion Shangri-La casino in Las Vegas. His unusual skill is to spread his bad luck around. He is in debt to the casino and forced to work for the boss Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin) but only for 7 more days. He's in love with cocktail waitress Natalie Belisario (Maria Bello) but he is a hopeless loser. Larry Sokolov (Ron Livingston) wants to update the casino like the rest of Las Vegas but Shelly resists.This is a Las Vegas fairy tale. Macy and Bello are standouts. They are sweet tender characters. Baldwin is the cool master beating back the upstart Livingston. The style is a whiff of the old time Vegas. It's decaying and dying in front of our eyes like the drug-addicted lounge singer Buddy Stafford. There is such a humanity in this faded world. These are all recognizable characters from other Vegas tales. They work so well.

Mere Humsafar Alec Baldwin and Maria Bello were RIGHTFULLY nominated for several awards, but unfortunately did not win many..What surprised me most was that William H.Macy was not even nominated for a single award, although I feel he has given an excellent performance in the tile role of "The Cooler"The movie has a good pace and is not dull for a minute.Excitement and anticipation are combined in the right proportion..The direction is smooth.. The movie should have done better at the box-office..Performances are truly worth watching.

evanston_dad Decent enough film about a man who's luck is so bad (William H. Macy) he's hired as a "cooler" for a casino, someone whose mere presence near a gaming table can put the kibosh on a winning streak.A bit of good luck drifts into his life in the guise of Maria Bello, who would be good luck for anyone, but a big slice of bad luck hounds him in the shape of Alec Baldwin, a gangster thug who would be bad luck for anyone. Things go from bad to worse in a mildly engaging but not very memorable movie.Baldwin received an Oscar nomination for his performance and Bello was considered a sure thing for a nomination, but she was strangely left off the shortlist when nominations that year were announced.Grade: B

jadekite22 It's a real travesty that the TV guide has this film listed in the Drama genre because "The Cooler" was clearly conceived as a comedy. . . maybe. I don't know. Perhaps this was supposed to be written seriously in the beginning and the writers ran out of plot points and had to switch at the last minute. I doubt it because, with everything else that counts--dialog, playing to classic noir tropes, and coming up with great comedic moments of comeuppance for these beat-down characters--they hit the screenplay out of the park.What further helps sell the film is the acting, lead by William H. Macy, whom I feel is the next Cary Grant. While Grant was continually typecasts as the suave protagonist, Macy constantly gets the role of the loser whether it be this or "Magnolia". They both play to their strengths excellently, but both also has the ability to step and prove themselves outside of these roles (Macy did wonders in "Andersonville"). Alec Baldwin and Mario Bello don't really step out that much, but they are given great lines and deliver them with equal greatness as Macy.But, as far as the story goes, yeah, I think this plays out better if you take it with a grain of salt. Macy's character's strength in this film is luck, and whenever you add a bit of magic, it also comes with a bit of silliness. This magic, however, is handled great in the final battle, which brings something completely new to the table (no pun intended) by making it completely dependent on that luck and out of the hero's hands.Even with it's great execution, the very end does drag its feet a bit and I'm pretty sure I laughed at some moments I wasn't supposed to (at least I don't think you're supposed to laugh at expositional confessions about lost children. . .) Anyway, those are only minor nitpicks for a fun film of which I consider essential lazy Sunday evening viewing. Don't miss it.