The Cooler

I`m not exactly sure where my head was in 2003 that I would have missed this wonderful piece of work but I did. In some ways this is a good thing as I always like a pleasant surprise and this is exactly what I got with THE COOLER. A cooler is a man who has such bad luck that it rubs off on others and myth would have it many casino owners employ them to fend of successful runs of the patrons. This is all I wish to share about the story as it is one of the finest I`ve seen in a good while. William H. Macy is perfect in this role, not that he isn`t always, but as the luckless Bernie Lootz he excels as does Alec Baldwin who received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of casino owner Shelly Kaplow. In both cases you would swear the roles were scripted with each in mind as they are their characters, seemless in execution and believable on all fronts. Maria Bello, who is perhaps one of the most underrated actresses in Hollywood more than holds up her end of the bargain and the chemistry between the three is so natural as to have you thinking you are watching a documentary rather than a studio drama. There is also some very important support work offered by the likes of Peterborough`s own Estella Warren and Ron Livingston and we even get cameos from scream queen Jewel Shepard and blue grass legend Doc Watson! What really makes this film work is direction and here Wayne Kramer is absolutely amazing. There are subtle touches he brings that will make you, should you be inclined, want to watch it again just to see the tricks he uses, small things like suit sizes on Lootz and his transforms throughout the film and transform he does. Really, why do us movie junkies honestly watch so many films......to instill a sense of hope within ourselves is certainly one of them and THE COOLER is all about just that...hope. For the lonely, single readers out there this film will help bolster this ideal....yes...it is brutal at times...so is life....but just like Bernie Lootz...all of us can have a change of luck.