Lions Gate Films
Not part of a collection.
The Cooler
When your life depends on losing... the last thing you need is lady luck.
Bernie works at a Las Vegas casino, where he uses his innate ability to bring about misfortune in those around him to jinx gamblers into losing. His imposing boss, Shelly Kaplow, is happy with the arrangement. But Bernie finds unexpected happiness when he begins dating attractive waitress Natalie Belisario.
- Original title
- The Cooler
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- $4,000,000
- Revenue
- $10,400,000
CinemaSerf
Feb 21, 2025 · via TMDB
“Bernie” (William H. Macy) is the casino equivalent of “Eeyore”. He sits beside the gamblers and makes sure that his doom and gloom philosophy wears off on them and they lose cash. No, it doesn’t sound very scientific but his boss “Shelley” (Alec Baldwin) believes in it and as they cleared $32 millions there last year, well maybe he is right. This technique is one of a few, though, that are causing the gangster owners to begin to consider if maybe there needs to be changes and so now would not be a good time for “Bernie” to move on. Suddenly, he encounters “Natalie” (Maria Bello) to whom he immediately takes a shine and you can only imagine his shock when she reciprocates. Quickly, they begin to fall for each other but isn’t all of this just a little too convenient? Just to add to the confusion, son “Mikey” (Shawn Hatosy) shows up with his expectant girlfriend and clumsily has a go at fleecing the tables! With these storylines gradually knitting together we have to wonder if any of them have any chance of finding happiness or fulfilment. Macy is perfectly cast for this, with his innate hangdog expression and his conveying of a plausible sense of amazement when he manages to hook up with “Natalie”. The rest of it, though, is a bit predictable and the latter half increasingly peters out as nobody quite seems to know how they want this to end. When it does, there’s something straight out of Buster Keaton mixed with a dose of Martin Scorsese that I though a bit daft. It’s watchable enough, but Baldwin exudes all the menace of a meringue and I found it just a bit disappointing.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Fandango At Home
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
Ellen Greene
Doris
Don Scribner
Lou
Tony Longo
Tony
Richard Israel
Marty Goldfarb
Timothy Landfield
The Player
Jewel Shepard
Hooker
Gordon Michaels
Mr. Pinkerton
Dan Lemieux
Suburbanite
Cherilyn Hayres
Woman
Monika Bella
Johnny Capella's Girl
Toby Corbett
Production Design
Travis Zariwny
Set Dresser
Wayne Kramer
Storyboard Artist
Noon Orsatti
Stunt Coordinator
Wayne Kramer
Director
Richard L. Fox
First Assistant Director
Arthur Coburn
Editor
Edward R. Pressman
Executive Producer
Mark Isham
Original Music Composer
Eric A. Norris
Supervising Sound Effects Editor
Wayne Kramer
Screenplay
Rear Window
Apocalypse Now
American Beauty
The Last Laugh
Rain Man
Boogie Nights
Black Cat, White Cat
All About My Mother
Head-On
Gilda
The Conversation
True Romance
Carol
Eyes Wide Shut
Barton Fink
Pandora's Box
Last Year at Marienbad
Road to Perdition
Bad Education
Lord of War
Dirty Dancing
Stolen Kisses
Lolita
To Catch a Thief
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The Passenger
Stranger Than Paradise
A Tale of Two Sisters
Lawn Dogs
Desert Hearts
Traffic
Drugstore Cowboy
Enemy of the State
Grand Hotel
Live Flesh
Insomnia
Dirty Pretty Things
Reconstruction
Cruel Intentions
King of the Hill
A Snake of June
Lucky Me
Reclaim Your Brain
Rapture
Playing by Heart
City of Hope
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
Sex and the City
Pallet on the Floor
The Hunting Party
Indecent Proposal
Italian for Beginners
Five Times Two
The Canterbury Tales
Tattoo
The Good Thief
Ataru: The First Love & The Last Kill
June and John
The Million Dollar Hotel
Mother's Elling
Circuit
And Then There Were None
Lucky You
The Hotel New Hampshire
The Bonfire of the Vanities
Rendez-vous
Sliver
Mad Dog Coll
Iconic
Hello-Goodbye
The Enclosure
Vicious Circles
Lost Vegas Hiway
Alice in Acidland
If You Saw His Heart
Iowa
Iris
Perhaps
Consumed
Jarmok márnosti
Yaniv
Hotel Midnight
Casino
Training Day
Almost Famous
Leaving Las Vegas
Molly's Game
Desert Hearts
Rounders
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Nightmare Alley
House of Games
Bad Times at the El Royale
Hard Eight
Atlantic City
Owning Mahowny
The Gambler
Croupier
Dark City
Indecent Proposal
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
Bugsy
On Swift Horses
The Card Counter
Sanctuary
Winged Creatures
June and John
13
Ballad of a Small Player
Jan 17, 2003
Sundance Film Festival
Nov 26, 2003
Jan 16, 2004
