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The Cooler

  • 2003
  • R
  • 1h 41m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
36K
YOUR RATING
The Cooler (2003)
Home Video Trailer from Lionsgate
Play trailer2:27
2 Videos
99+ Photos
Dark RomancePsychological DramaDramaRomance

In an old school Las Vegas casino, its top gambling jinx breaks his curse when he falls in love, much to his boss' consternation.In an old school Las Vegas casino, its top gambling jinx breaks his curse when he falls in love, much to his boss' consternation.In an old school Las Vegas casino, its top gambling jinx breaks his curse when he falls in love, much to his boss' consternation.

  • Director
    • Wayne Kramer
  • Writers
    • Frank Hannah
    • Wayne Kramer
  • Stars
    • William H. Macy
    • Maria Bello
    • Alec Baldwin
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    36K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Wayne Kramer
    • Writers
      • Frank Hannah
      • Wayne Kramer
    • Stars
      • William H. Macy
      • Maria Bello
      • Alec Baldwin
    • 236User reviews
    • 59Critic reviews
    • 69Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 9 wins & 26 nominations total

    Videos2

    The Cooler
    Trailer 2:27
    The Cooler
    The Cooler
    Trailer 2:28
    The Cooler
    The Cooler
    Trailer 2:28
    The Cooler

    Photos111

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    Top cast44

    Edit
    William H. Macy
    William H. Macy
    • Bernie Lootz
    Maria Bello
    Maria Bello
    • Natalie Belisario
    Alec Baldwin
    Alec Baldwin
    • Shelly Kaplow
    Shawn Hatosy
    Shawn Hatosy
    • Mikey
    Ron Livingston
    Ron Livingston
    • Larry Sokolov
    Paul Sorvino
    Paul Sorvino
    • Buddy Stafford
    Estella Warren
    Estella Warren
    • Charlene
    Arthur J. Nascarella
    Arthur J. Nascarella
    • Nicky Fingers Bonnatto
    Joey Fatone
    Joey Fatone
    • Johnny Cappella
    M.C. Gainey
    M.C. Gainey
    • Highway Officer
    • (as MC Gainey)
    Ellen Greene
    Ellen Greene
    • Doris
    Don Scribner
    Don Scribner
    • Lou
    Tony Longo
    Tony Longo
    • Tony
    Richard Israel
    • Marty Goldfarb
    Timothy Landfield
    Timothy Landfield
    • The Player
    T.J. Gioia
    • Bulldog
    Jewel Shepard
    • Hooker
    Gordon Michaels
    Gordon Michaels
    • Mr. Pinkerton
    • Director
      • Wayne Kramer
    • Writers
      • Frank Hannah
      • Wayne Kramer
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to the director's commentary, William H. Macy was given three suits to wear during the film. During scenes where his character Bernie was hapless and unlucky, he wore a suit that was two sizes too big for him. During scenes where his luck was starting to turn around, he wore a suit that was one size too big for him. After he falls in love and is extremely lucky, he wears a perfectly tailored suit. Also, as Bernie's luck improves, the lighting surrounding him gets brighter, and his shirt and tie go from dark and subdued to bright and colorful.
    • Goofs
      When Bernie plays craps, he is shown placing two stacks of chips side-by-side on the pass line. This is incorrect - a player's entire bet must be placed in one vertical stack. AFTER a point is established, a player make "take the odds" by placing a second stack of chips BEHIND the original pass line bet. A second stack of chips on the pass line next to the player's bet would be assumed by the crew to be a toke - a bet for the dealers.
    • Quotes

      Shelly Kaplow: [about the Vegas strip] What? You mean that Disneyland mookfest out there? Huh? Come on, you know what that is? Huh? That's a fucking violation is what that is. Something that used to be beautiful, used to have class, like a gorgeous high-priced hooker with an exclusive clientele. Then along comes that Steve Wynn cocksucker and knocks her up and puts her in a fucking family way. Now she's nothing but a cheap, fat whore hiding behind too much fucking make-up. I look at her and see all her fucking stretch marks, it makes me want to cry - because I remember the way she used to be.

    • Crazy credits
      Maria Bello's face is reflected on the side of the "Lady Luck" hotel.
    • Alternate versions
      The film was cut by the MPAA to achieve an R rating.
    • Connections
      Featured in Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Alec Baldwin/Vanessa Marcil/Rancid (2003)
    • Soundtracks
      Candy
      Written by Rebecca Kyler Downs & Brian Swartz

      Performed by Rebecca Kyler Downs

      Courtesy of The Kyler Company by arrangement with Position Soundtrack Services

    User reviews236

    Featured review

    Performances are rich

    The Cooler is an odd but ultimately satisfying mixture of real feelings, unexpected violence and improbable situations set against of the backdrop of a Las Vegas nearly gone from this world.

    William H. Macy plays Bernie, the Cooler of the title. He is a man whose luck is so bad that it not only infects his own life, but can be rubbed off on unsuspecting gamblers at the Golden Shangri-La casino where he works. By merely touching the table where a winner is betting he can change their luck to bad, thereby cooling off their winning streak. It is in this capacity that he meets a cocktail waitress named Natalie (Maria Bello) who begins a relationship with him after he cools the luck of a customer who gets fresh with her. As the unlikely couple begin to form a strong bond, Bernie's luck begins to change. It is when Shelly (Alec Baldwin), the casino manager and boss to both Bernie and Natalie imposes his will on the situation that Bernie's newfound luck and love are tested.

    Macy has spent his career playing hapless losers and hard luck characters. In Bernie, he hits the jackpot, delivering a well modulated, brave performance. Brave because he allows Bernie to be shown for what he really is, a not overly attractive, middle aged loser in both body and spirit. Macy shows us a lot of himself both literally and figuratively and it is that which brings a sense of truth to the performance.

    Baldwin, who is being billed as a mere co-star is actually a major player in the story. Shelly is a character who utilizes more brute force than the usual steely-eyed verbal barrages that Baldwin excels at. But Shelly is a great character for Baldwin, a man so sure of his place in life and even in Vegas history that he will not bend under any amount of pressure. The Golden Shangri-La is, according to Shelly, the last of the old-style Vegas casinos. The proposed remodel of the casino threatens Shelly at a deep level, making him all the more inflexible. This is definitely bad news for anyone Shelly comes into contact with who would try to thwart his will in any way, including Bernie and Natalie. It is a tribute to Baldwin that the Shelly is someone the audience can never find it in their hearts to dislike completely, despite his intolerable actions.

    If in the end, the improbabilities of the story overshadow the ending, it is a fairly minor consideration. This is a movie of performances more than storytelling. Macy's performance is so fine and delicate that one is hard pressed to see how difficult it must have been to do. Bello, as Natalie, shows an underlying fragility that draws the viewer to her and shows us why Bernie would love her. And Baldwin is the hurricane force wind that rages and storms through the proceedings. And it is the audience who is lucky enough to see it all.
    • Qcoatl
    • Jan 18, 2004
    • Permalink

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 16, 2004 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Golpe de suerte
    • Filming locations
      • Landmark Hotel - 364 Convention Center Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA(hotel implosion during closing credits)
    • Production companies
      • ContentFilm
      • Pierce/Williams Entertainment
      • Furst Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,200,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $8,291,572
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $128,973
      • Nov 30, 2003
    • Gross worldwide
      • $10,464,788
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 41 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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