| Photos (See all 65 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 4) |
| William H. Macy | ... | Bernie Lootz | |
| Alec Baldwin | ... | Shelly Kaplow | |
| Maria Bello | ... | Natalie Belisario | |
| Shawn Hatosy | ... | Mikey | |
| Ron Livingston | ... | Larry Sokolov | |
| Paul Sorvino | ... | Buddy Stafford | |
| Estella Warren | ... | Charlene | |
| Arthur J. Nascarella | ... | Nicky Fingers Bonnatto | |
| Joey Fatone | ... | Johnny Cappella | |
| M.C. Gainey | ... | Highway Officer (as MC Gainey) | |
| Ellen Greene | ... | Doris | |
| Don Scribner | ... | Lou | |
| Tony Longo | ... | Tony | |
| Richard Israel | ... | Marty Goldfarb | |
| Timothy Landfield | ... | The Player | |
| T.J. Gioia | ... | Bulldog | |
| Jewel Shepard | ... | Hooker | |
| Gordon Michaels | ... | Mr. Pinkerton | |
| Doc Watson | ... | Morrie | |
| Dan Lemieux | ... | Suburbanite | |
| Larry Elliott | ... | Floor Manager | |
| Joe Conti | ... | Pit Boss | |
| Chris Platt | ... | Dealer | |
| Norbert Ganska | ... | Stickman #1 | |
| Mitch Samboceti | ... | Player | |
| Andrew Simbeck | ... | Stickman #2 | |
| Danny Grossen | ... | Stickman #3 | |
| Jeff Hill | ... | Stickman #4 | |
| Monet Beaman | ... | Stickman #5 | |
| Charlie Carr | ... | Boxman | |
| Kanie Kastroll | ... | Croupier | |
| Bryon Baker | ... | Stickman #6 | |
| John Kozeluh | ... | Man (as John T. Kozeluh) | |
| Cherilyn Hayres | ... | Woman | |
| Jim McCarthy | ... | Televangelist | |
| Frank Hannah | ... | Dealer #2 | |
| Monica White | ... | Johnny Capella's Girl | |
| Heather McHenry | ... | Johnny Capella's Girl | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Portia Dawson | ... | Waitress (uncredited) | |
| Stephen Halbert | ... | Carnie (uncredited) | |
| Michelle Lopez | ... | Lady Craps Player 'Cooled' by Bernie (uncredited) | |
| Herb Santos Jr. | ... | ER Doctor (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Wayne Kramer | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Frank Hannah | (written by) & | |
| Wayne Kramer | (written by) | |
Produced by | |||
| Andrew Busey | .... | associate producer | |
| Alessandro Camon | .... | executive producer | |
| Bryan Furst | .... | co-producer | |
| Sean Furst | .... | producer | |
| Robert Gryphon | .... | executive producer | |
| Joe Madden | .... | executive producer | |
| Chris Miller | .... | post-production producer: VisionWorks | |
| Brett Morrison | .... | executive producer | |
| Michael A. Pierce | .... | producer (as Michael Pierce) | |
| Edward R. Pressman | .... | executive producer | |
| Elliot Lewis Rosenblatt | .... | co-producer | |
| John Schmidt | .... | executive producer (as John R. Schmidt) | |
Original Music by | |||
| Mark Isham | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Jim Whitaker | (director of photography) (as James Whitaker) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Arthur Coburn | |||
Casting by | |||
| Sig De Miguel | |||
| Amanda Mackey Johnson | |||
| Cathy Sandrich | (as Cathy Sandrich Gelfond) | ||
| Wendy Weidman | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Toby Corbett | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Alice Baker | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Kristin M. Burke | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Heather Cummings | .... | assistant makeup artist | |
| Daniel Curet | .... | key hair stylist | |
| Andy Harmon | .... | assistant makeup artist | |
| Jason Rail | .... | co-key hair stylist | |
| Carol Strong | .... | key makeup artist | |
Production Management | |||
| Shauna Miller | .... | unit production manager (as Shauna Miller Schain) | |
| Tony Murphy | .... | post-production manager: Visionbox Media Group | |
| Diana Tauder | .... | post-production supervisor: VisionWorks | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Richard L. Fox | .... | first assistant director | |
| Heather Grierson | .... | second assistant director | |
| Casey Mako | .... | second second assistant director | |
Art Department | |||
| Michael Clements | .... | set dresser | |
| E.C. Duffy | .... | carpenter | |
| Kahele Dunn | .... | props assistant | |
| Will Durham | .... | assistant art director | |
| Erin Fite | .... | set dresser | |
| Terry Hargis | .... | leadperson | |
| Wayne Kramer | .... | storyboard artist | |
| Jamie Maheu | .... | property master | |
| Bryan Matulay | .... | assistant property master (as Bryan Daniel Matulay) | |
| David Richards | .... | carpenter | |
| Steven J. Vana | .... | on-set dresser (as Steve J. Vana) | |
| Travis Zariwny | .... | set dresser (as Travis Zariwany) | |
| Lynn Pollard | .... | lead painter (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Tom Burns | .... | sound re-recordist | |
| Steve Copley | .... | foley recordist | |
| Stephen Halbert | .... | sound mixer | |
| Scott Hecker | .... | supervising sound editor | |
| Jairo Hernandez | .... | boom operator (as Jairo Hernandez Jr.) | |
| Javier M. Hernández | .... | boom operator (as Javier M. Hernandez) | |
| Tateum Kohut | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Howard London | .... | adr mixer | |
| Anna Malkin | .... | foley assistant | |
| Eric A. Norris | .... | sound effects supervisor (as Eric Norris) | |
| Brad North | .... | foley editor (as Bradley North) | |
| John Sievert | .... | foley artist | |
| Jon Taylor | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| David Weisberg | .... | adr mixer | |
| Byron Wilson | .... | supervising sound editor | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Michael Adkisson | .... | visual effects supervisor: Title House Digital (as Mike 'Mookie' Adkisson) | |
| Jose Avitia | .... | optical effects producer: Title House Digital (as Jose 'Spike' Avitia) | |
| Blake Busby | .... | title designer: Title House Digital | |
| Derry Frost | .... | head of production: Amalgamated Pixels | |
| Julie Landholt | .... | title designer: Title House Digital (as J. Kathryn Landholt) | |
| David Fred Masselink | .... | I/O coordinator: Title House Digital (as Fred Masselink) | |
| Kevin McVey | .... | I/O manager: Title House Digital | |
| Andrew Midgley | .... | visual effects producer: Title House Digital | |
| Gary Miller | .... | animation camera: Title House Digital | |
| Michael Morreale | .... | executive producer: Amalgamated Pixels | |
| Merysa Nicholas | .... | lead composite artist: Title House Digital (as Merysa Nichols) | |
| Vincent Nuñez | .... | digital artist: Title House Digital | |
| Jeremy Oddo | .... | senior animator: Amalgamated Pixels | |
| Phillip Palousek | .... | visual effects coordinator: Amalgamated Pixels | |
| Dave Piedra | .... | digital artist: Title House Digital | |
| Adam Stern | .... | digital artist: Title House Digital | |
Stunts | |||
| Robin Lynn Bonaccorsi | .... | utility stunts (as Robin Bonaccorsi) | |
| Casey Easlick | .... | utility stunts | |
| Dan Lemieux | .... | utility stunts (as Dan Le Mieux) | |
| Noon Orsatti | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| Robin Lynn Bonaccorsi | .... | stunt double: Maria Bello (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Anita Louise Brown | .... | set costumer | |
| Molly Grundman | .... | key costumer | |
| Heidi Higginbotham | .... | costume supervisor | |
Editorial Department | |||
| David Bilow | .... | apprentice editor | |
| Stephen R. Sheridan | .... | color timer (as Steve Sheridan) | |
| Derek Vaughn | .... | assistant editor | |
| Jonathan Miller | .... | post-production services (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Pepper Adams | .... | musician: baritone saxophone solo | |
| Thomas A. Carlson | .... | music consultant (as Tom Carlson) | |
| Sandy DeCrescent | .... | orchestra contractor | |
| Peter Erskine | .... | musician: drum solo | |
| Billy Gottlieb | .... | music supervisor | |
| Mark Isham | .... | musician: trumpet solo | |
| Jettared | .... | performers: "As I Walk" | |
| Stephen Krause | .... | music recordist | |
| Jason La Rocca | .... | assistant music recordist (as Jason LaRocca) | |
| John Leftwich | .... | musician: bass solo | |
| Flo Mo-Tee | .... | musician: fender rhodes solo (as Flo Mo-T) | |
| Sid Page | .... | musician: violin solo (as Sid Paige) | |
| Rich Ruttenberg | .... | musician: piano solo | |
| Bob Sheppard | .... | musician: alto saxophone solo | |
| Bob Sheppard | .... | musician: soprano saxophone solo | |
| Florian Tessloff | .... | music preparation | |
| Tracy McKnight | .... | executive soundtrack producer (uncredited) | |
| Florian Tessloff | .... | assistant music editor (uncredited) | |
| Florian Tessloff | .... | music assistant: additional arrangements (uncredited) | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Brent Baccambuso | .... | driver | |
| John Bowen | .... | driver | |
| Scott Doleto | .... | driver | |
| James R. Guillory | .... | driver (as James Guillory) | |
| David Lee | .... | driver | |
| Larry Lynch | .... | transportation captain | |
| Ronald Owens | .... | driver | |
| David Perelle | .... | driver | |
| Lloyd Stinson | .... | driver (as Lloyd Stinsen) | |
| Richard Webb | .... | driver (as Rick Webb) | |
Other crew | |||
| Nick Agorastos | .... | set medic | |
| Kirk Baily | .... | adr loop group | |
| Kathleen Becker | .... | catering | |
| Suzanne Bingham | .... | script supervisor: second unit | |
| Greg Bosler | .... | arranger: "Luck Be a Lady" | |
| Linda O. Cook | .... | adr loop group (as Linda Overlin Cook) | |
| Ryan Cooke | .... | production coordinator | |
| Wendy Cutler | .... | adr loop group (as Wendy E. Cutler) | |
| Philip Eichner | .... | hotel liaison | |
| Jeff Fuller | .... | key set production assistant (as Jeff 'Bones' Fuller) | |
| Mike A. Gayten | .... | craft service assistant | |
| Jackie Gonneau | .... | adr loop group | |
| Hayley Green | .... | assistant: Mr. Manulis, Visionbox Media Group | |
| Lauren Grey | .... | assistant: Mr. Pressman | |
| Malcolm Groome | .... | adr loop group | |
| Matthew Hill | .... | set medic | |
| Alexander Kukulus | .... | set medic | |
| Ivy K. Lukas | .... | assistant: Mr. Baldwin | |
| John Bard Manulis | .... | chief executive officer: Visionbox Media Group (as John Manulis) | |
| Henry Marx | .... | producer: "Luck Be a Lady" | |
| Micah May | .... | production assistant (as Micah M. May) | |
| Jim McCarthy | .... | post-production accountant (as James McCarthy) | |
| Jim McCarthy | .... | production accountant (as James McCarthy) | |
| Mike Miner | .... | production assistant (as Michael Miner) | |
| Randall Montgomery | .... | adr loop group | |
| Tina Panella | .... | adr loop group | |
| Udo Pfeiffer | .... | assistant to director | |
| Shauna Phelan | .... | assistant: Mr. Furst | |
| Rebecca Poulos | .... | script supervisor | |
| Kristina Santoro | .... | production assistant | |
| Dean Scofield | .... | adr loop group | |
| Richard Sloane | .... | production assistant | |
| Robin Adair Sparks | .... | set medic | |
| Rick S. Sulier | .... | assistant accountant (as Rick Sulier) | |
| John A. Suzio | .... | craft service | |
| Jayce Templeton | .... | animal wrangler | |
| Jeff Turner | .... | assistant production coordinator | |
| Georgia Vestakis | .... | assistant: Mr. Pierce | |
| Douglas Walls | .... | production assistant | |
| Tim Wilson | .... | location manager | |
| Cathy Yermilov-Miller | .... | post-production caterer | |
| Lulu Zezza | .... | managing producer: Visionbox Media Group | |
| Greg Bernstein | .... | legal services (uncredited) | |
| Frank Hannah | .... | advisor: gambling (uncredited) | |
| Brendan MacDevette | .... | production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Tom Schaus | .... | helicopter pilot (uncredited) | |
Thanks | |||
| Harry Abrams | .... | special thanks | |
| Levy Antal | .... | special thanks | |
| Greg Bernstein | .... | special thanks | |
| Richard Branca | .... | special thanks | |
| Jim Carter | .... | special thanks | |
| Jim Cashman | .... | special thanks | |
| Larry Collins | .... | special thanks | |
| Leanne Coronel | .... | special thanks | |
| Warren Dewey | .... | special thanks | |
| Timothy Dougall | .... | special thanks | |
| Jerome Duboz | .... | special thanks | |
| Craig Furst | .... | special thanks | |
| Howard Furst | .... | special thanks | |
| Portia Furst | .... | special thanks | |
| Suzanne Furst | .... | special thanks | |
| Janine Giaime | .... | special thanks | |
| Kenny Goodman | .... | special thanks | |
| Larry Goodman | .... | special thanks | |
| Heather Griffith | .... | special thanks (as Heather Parker) | |
| Shailly Guleri | .... | special thanks | |
| Tim Guleri | .... | special thanks | |
| Kevin Hearst | .... | special thanks | |
| Bob Hoffman | .... | special thanks | |
| Jon Huddle | .... | special thanks | |
| Chris Jenkins | .... | special thanks | |
| Leah Antonio Ketchum | .... | special thanks (as Leah Antonio Ketcham) | |
| Lori Killam | .... | special thanks (as Lori Killiam) | |
| Ethan Kramer | .... | special thanks | |
| Jodi Kramer | .... | special thanks | |
| Mary Loughan | .... | special thanks | |
| Rob Loughan | .... | special thanks | |
| John Lynch | .... | special thanks | |
| Kelly Lynch | .... | special thanks (as Kellie Lynch) | |
| Kira Makagon | .... | special thanks | |
| Randy Paul | .... | special thanks | |
| Nick Pollack | .... | special thanks: Sony Pictures wardrobe | |
| Shaun Redick | .... | special thanks | |
| Michael Roban | .... | special thanks | |
| Richard Roll | .... | special thanks (as Rich Roll) | |
| Rena Ronson | .... | special thanks | |
| Jim Roudebush | .... | special thanks (as Jim Roudabush) | |
| Cindy Ryder | .... | special thanks | |
| Chris Schmidt | .... | special thanks | |
| Karen Sebok | .... | special thanks | |
| Ann Setty-Rosevear | .... | special thanks | |
| Marcello Sozio | .... | special thanks | |
| Peter Sternlicht | .... | special thanks | |
| Anthony Teneriello | .... | special thanks | |
| Bret Tyler | .... | special thanks | |
| Steve Van Anda | .... | special thanks | |
| Ally Visram | .... | special thanks | |
| Amin Visram | .... | special thanks | |
| Mark Williams | .... | special thanks | |
| Beverly Wood | .... | special thanks | |
| Tracy Zahoryin | .... | special thanks | |
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| My Own Private Idaho | The Good Thief | 1900 | Head On | Head-On |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section |
William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin and Maria Bello give unforgettable performances in 'The Cooler,' a moody tale of high stakes gambling on the Vegas Strip. Baldwin plays Shelley Kaplow, a casino operator steeped in nostalgia who hates what has become of his beloved city and prefers to do business the old-fashioned way (i.e. breaking a leg or two or even rubbing a person out if the situation calls for it). Shelley is also so intensely superstitious that he's hired a 'cooler' to rein in any gambler who starts winning a bit too much against the house. Macy is the 'cooler,' a man named Bernie who's been a loser all his life. It is Shelley's contention that all Bernie has to do is stand next to a gambler on a hot streak and that player's luck will immediately turn cold. And it works. Bernie is like a dark cloud roaming the floor of the casino, bringing despair and depression wherever he goes. The problem for Bernie is that, although he makes a living doing this, he has virtually no self-esteem left. He truly believes that he is a bad luck charm, an impression he carries over into his personal life as well. Enter Natalie Belisario, a sweet, beautiful cocktail waitress at the casino, who is assigned by Shelley to accompany Bernie on his treks around the room. What none of them expect least of all Bernie and Natalie - is that the two of them will wind up falling in love with each other and that this happy turnabout in Bernie's personal life will extend to the professional arena as well. Bernie's new role at work as a wandering leprechaun, dispensing good luck and fortune in his wake, is not, of course, a positive thing for business. Thus, Shelley feels compelled to step in and wrest control of the situation, any way he can.
The screenplay uses the gambling scene in Vegas as a metaphor for life. The film, written by Frank Hannah and Wayne Kramer and directed by Kramer, shows that achieving happiness is really all about taking chances, laying down our bets and going for the big score even when all the odds are against us. And nothing in the film underscores that theme more than the relationship between Bernie and Natalie. In fact, Bernie's final act is really one giant spin of the wheel that manages to pay off. After he's taken his chance and beaten the house (and not just at the craps table), he is Bad Luck incarnate no more. Yet, in many ways, the script is so heavily symbolic - so rife with contrived allegory and neatly lined-up parallelism that it almost ends up derailing the film in the second half. On the positive side, Bernie and Natalie make a compelling romantic couple, as she attempts to build up his confidence and make him see his own self-worth. Macy and Bello do a beautiful job capturing the essence of these two lost souls who find strength in each other's weaknesses. In addition, Baldwin paints a chilling portrait of a man who is smooth and suave on the surface, yet so ruthless underneath that he will literally stop at nothing to get what he wants. The dialogue is sharp, abrasive and insightful and the insider view of casino operations is, as always, fascinating to watch. The film also captures the evolutionary struggle Vegas itself has been undergoing over the years. Shelley is like an animal facing imminent extinction, as the Vegas he yearns for the one run by syndicate money for hardcore gamblers, truly the last outpost in a fading frontier where a fistfight or a gun battle could settle any argument makes way for the new Vegas of glitzy mega-casinos and family-oriented Disney-esque attractions.
What undercuts the film in the second half is its falling for its own fantastical premise. The idea that one person can spread good or bad luck depending on his mood is fine for a ruse, but when the screenplay itself begins to endorse that view, the film loses both grit and credibility. The final sequences, in particular, have a feeling of desperation to them, as if the filmmakers couldn't come up with a viable ending, so they turned, quite literally, to Lady Luck to get them out of their predicament. The problem, essentially, is that 'The Cooler' starts off as a realistic drama, then wanders off into rueful fantasy. It makes the film more 'clever' in the long run, I suppose - though I, for one, would have preferred a more consistently life-like approach and a more believable resolution.
This is not to in any way denigrate the brilliant performances of the three leads or to minimize the many elements of quality that make up the film. Despite its flaws, 'The Cooler' is a compelling human drama that, if nothing else, will make you think twice before you grab all those winnings off the crap table.