The old story of the hapless loser falling in love with the down-on-her-luck prostitute has been the theme of countless films in the past.  This similar theme is the basis for The Cooler, but this time the story is told in a most unique and original way.  After seeing this film, I'm convinced that the story may actually be more a fable than a dark drama, in such that one has to accept the premise that one's good and bad luck really does control what happens in life to that person. This aspect comes into play with many key scenes in the film, especially with the ending.

      William H. Macy (in yet another brilliant performance) plays Bernie Lootz who works for a man named Shelly (Alec Baldwin) in a casino in Las Vegas. Bernie works there because he owes a debt to Shelly and plans to leave as soon as the debt is worked off.  But what does Bernie do in the casino?  Well, he is used to cool off gamblers who are on a roll and who are winning too big in the casino.  It turns out that Bernie's whole life has been just one bad luck thing after another and by just putting him next to a winning gambler, his bad-luck syndrome will rub off on the unsuspecting winner and cause him to start losing.  Bernie can cause a hot roller to crap out just by standing near him at the table.

      Bernie is one sad, hopeless lutz.  As a complete loser, he makes Charlie Brown look like the all-time winner.  However, suddenly this bad luck is all about to change.  He falls in love with Natalie the cocktail waitress who seems to like Bernie a lot as well.  After having sex with Natalie, something seems to have changed in Bernie and all of a sudden he is walking with confidence and looks happy instead of sad.  However, this causes a huge problem because his cooling powers don't seem to work anymore and too many people start winning big in the casino.  This is a most inappropriate time for this to happen because Shelly is being pressured by the mob to modernize his casino and change the way he runs the place.  Shelly sees that his only way out is to end this romance between Bernie and Natalie so that Bernie will get his "cooling" powers back which will result in the casino to stop losing so much money.  And to complicate matters even more, Bernie's son and pregnant girlfriend suddenly show up wanting money for doctors.

      There is so much to like about this film but the kudos have to start with the actors. Macy is just perfect as the sad-sack Bernie.  Just his looks and the way he walks tell you right away that this is one sad man.  But then when he falls in love with Natalie, the glow and smile on his face tell you that this is a changed man.  Alec Baldwin is also perfect as the somewhat evil casino owner whose life is, in some ways, even more sadder than Bernie's.  It wouldn't surprise me a bit to see Baldwin walk away with the Best Supporting Actor award at the next Academy Awards show.  Maria Bello as Natalie gives a fine performance.  Her love for Bernie seems to be real so that the romance between these two unlikely people seems honest and authentic.

      As I said at the beginning, to really appreciate this film the viewer has to accept that a person can really be a cooler and that both good and bad luck can be a real thing.  At it's heart, this is a story about love and how it can change people in such a dramatic way.  You never know where this film is headed and the tension keeps rising with not only will Shelly keep these two people apart but will they end up dead or alive.  This is a very quirky film but to borrow from it's title, it is also a very "cool" movie.  You will not regret seeing this one.