The Cooler [2004] [DVD]

But Bernie has other concerns because he has made a surprising and magical connection with Natalie Belisario (Maria Bello) and actually has something to smile about for the first time in his life. Meanwhile Shelly is distracted because a group of "investors" have brought in Larry Sokolov (Ron Livingston), a hot shot from the Harvard Business School, who represents the new Las Vegas of subliminal persuasion and other modern innovations to persuade customers to lose large amount of money. Shelly hates the new way and insists that the perfection of Shagrai-La should remain untouched. However, he has a new problem, because Natalie is making Bernie happy and suddenly people are winning a lot of money at the casino. This, it does not need to be pointed out, is not good for business and steps must be taken.

What makes "The Cooler" stand out is that both parts of the Bernie and Shelly relationship have stories that can stand on their own. Trying to define their relationship is tricky because it is so multi-faceted that it is hard to get through everything to get to the bottom line. In fact, it is hard for Bernie and Shelly to reach that point themselves, and fate (or Lady Luck) has to help them along. Baldwin was nominated for a Supporting Actor Oscar and Macy's performance is just as good (if Bernie was not clearly a leading role, he could have been nominated in the same category as well). Together they make one of the more interesting odd couples we have seen on the screen in recent years and "The Cooler" is one of the better off beat films of 2003 that will not disappoint Macy's legion of fans.

Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) is one of Life's pre-eminent losers, and that's what makes him indispensable to casino owner Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin). Kaplow manages the Shangri-La, an aging and last-of-its-kind gambling hall run the old fashioned way - by the Mob. Shelly employs Bernie to bring his hang-dog demeanor and startlingly bad karma to tables where the punters are on a roll. Bernie's presence immediately turns the winner's luck bad, saving the house from having to make big payouts. Lootz and Kaplow are, um, longtime friends. Several years before, when Bernie had gotten in over his head with gambling debts, Shelly had broken Bernie's kneecap with a baseball bat and had written off Bernie's marker in exchange for indentured servitude at the Shangri-La. While oddly grateful to Shelly for turning his life around, Lootz now has only six days left on his contract, and he announces to Kaplow his intention of leaving Sin City when his time is up. Kaplow, under pressure from his Mob boss to modernize the operation into one of the city's G-rated casinos and improve the bottom line, is desperate to retain Lootz and his unusual talent, and is adamant about keeping the Shangri-La "traditional".

Bernie begins a relationship with cocktail waitress Natalie Belisario (Maria Bello). The steamy sex, the first of any sort that Lootz has had in years, blossoms into Love. Now, when an ebullient Bernie walks the casino floor, Lady Luck is at his side and the winners continue to win. Win big. Vis-a-vis Kaplow, this isn't a good career move, especially after a particularly nasty set of circumstances binds Lootz to his boss for an additional period of servitude.

THE COOLER is Macy's most brilliant performance in an accomplished but largely overlooked career. For his role as Bernie, Macy was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. It's a shame he didn't win. (He even gets to do nude love scenes with Bello. In an interview before the most recent Academy Awards, Macy commented that he's tried to stay in shape over the years for just that improbable eventuality. Good planning.)

Almost stealing the show is Baldwin, who garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and who also lost. Kaplow is polished and charming in a reptilian sort of way, and the violence he's capable of provides the film's most chilling sequences, especially after he catches a high roller cheating at dice.

THE COOLER is a perceptive look both at the gaming industry done Mafia style and the undercurrent of sleaze that most visitors to the Disneyland-style hotel casino's of Vegas probably never notice. The film contains brief scenes of violence not for the overly squeamish, and sex scenes not for the overly prudish. But by the movie's conclusion and its quirky twist of fortune, American audiences, which generally favor the underdog, have in Lootz a new and unlikely hero.