The Cooler
Ever wonder what causes the flunctuations between good luck and bad? Well, here's one: the cooler, a man filled with so much bad luck, he spreads it to all who is around him. In this case, Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) is the best among the worst. He's on the payroll of Shelly Kaplow's (Alec Baldwin) Shangri-La Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas as the cooler in order to cool off the hot winning streaks in the casino. Kaplow is an old timer when it comes to gambling, believing in some of the oldest tricks in the book such as the cooler and a casino without the glitz and wholesomeness of the new Vegas being built outside for the families. Profits are coming in, but the owners like the ideas of a new consultant (Ron Livingston) to make the Shangri-La more profitable and are trying to convince Kaplow, albeit unsuccessfully. Lootz meanwhile has caught the eye of Natalie (Maria Bello), a young waitress who grows attached to Lootz and it seems his luck begins to change. The effects he has over people now have the opposite effect. Kaplow soon begins to see his little empire crumble and begins to take steps to rebuild and the first thing to do is to put Lootz back into his bad luck streak.

While the film gets stuck in the usual cliches most gambling movies have been known for, you can't help but root for Bernie as his luck begins to get good and he works to stay there. This is helped along by the performance that Macy gives, one of his best to date in his storied career. Baldwin also gives in a good, dark performance for most of the movie but by the time he's done, his acting becomes a bit overdone. You seem to get a little bit of everything in this picture from the joys of winning to the lows of losing, from the euphoria of getting on a winning streak to the tough handling of cheaters wanting to take a few bucks. But in the end, seemingly all, for better or worse, craps out. 3 stars