The Cooler ***

Cast: William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin, Maria Bello, Shawn Hatosy, Rong Livingston, Paul Sorvino, Estella Warren, Arthur J. Nascarella
Director: Wayne Kramer

Bernie Lootz is a loser. He is so much a loser that he makes the people around him have bad luck. And that comes in handy in his job as a "cooler" at the Shangri-La Casino in Las Vegas. Whenever someone is getting a little too lucky in the casino, in comes Bernie, and the hot streak is over. But then a funny thing happens...Bernie finds love in a cocktail waitress at the Shangri-La, and all of a sudden, Bernie's cooling powers are failing him. This is not good news for the owner, Shelly Kaplow who is feeling pressure from a mob boss to update his business methods. William H. Macy has sort of perfected the loser guy roles, so it is no surprise that he gives a good performance as Bernie, and when things start to go right for him, you feel happy for the poor guy. Alec Baldwin does a great job as the casino owner clinging to an antiquated way of doing things. All in all, a surprisingly enjoyable little movie.