FBMR - The Cooler
Film-Buff Movie Reviews


THE COOLER (2003) ***

When one thinks of William H. Macy, it’s rare that we think of strong, cool characters. He seems to often play down-on-their-luck losers, or men with low self-esteem. And this movie starts out just like that. Macy plays a character named Bernie Lootz who is undoubtedly the most unlucky person in the world. Nothing ever seems to go his way. In fact, he’s come to accept this fact and even has a job where his bad luck comes in handy. He is a casino “cooler”. He works for a casino, going from table to table where someone’s luck seems to be too favourable. Once he arrives, his mere presence suddenly turns the tables. But when Lootz finds himself falling in love with a waitress at the casino, it’s time for the tables to turn on him, for the better.

The thing I liked about this movie was that there was no guess work in luck. It was almost like some divine intervention that decided to change Lootz’s luck depending on how he felt about himself. It was over-done, but in a comical way. There was no middle ground … either his luck was absolutely horrible, or it was absolutely spectacular. And Macy, again, is fantastic and plays the role with grace and vulnerability. I liked this movie a lot, very campy, with some very funny moments and some sad ones, too.