communication breakdown

Movie Review: The Cooler (2003)

[ 6 / 10 ] William H. Macy is "The Cooler", a man cursed with perpetually bad luck who is hired by a casino to cool off winning tables. While the story takes place primarily in a Las Vegas casino, don't be fooled - it's not a movie about gambling or casino life - in fact, it doesn't have much to do with Macy's "profession" at all. At its core, the movie is about luck and love, and the effect that each can have on the other...

Macy is terrific as the down-and-out wanderer who has consigned himself to a life devoid of happiness. There's not a single movie I've seen him in that wasn't improved by his performance - I'm convinced he's one of the best actors in Hollywood, and I think he could pull off any role. Here he plays every note perfectly.

His luck turns when he meets Natalie, played by Maria Bello (formerly of "ER"). For some reason, she is mesmerized by him, and (with good reason) he can't seem to understand why. Fortunately for his sake he's not so self-deprecating that he refuses to pursue her - he embraces his stroke of luck and their relationship forms the crux of the movie's plot.

The problem is that his luck doesn't stop there. It gets in the way of his job and draws the attention of his boss, the casino manager played by Alec Baldwin. It sets off a chain of events that alters the course of all of their lives.

Frankly, I didn't realize Baldwin was capable of such ruthlessness or depth of acting. He plays the part of an old-school, outdated hardass who refuses to change with such gusto that I understand why the studio was pushing hard for him to win Best Supporting Actor last year.

Two things struck me about this film. The first was the surrealism of it all. It doesn't have the traditional feel of a Vegas movie, probably because you don't see much of the real Vegas - the movie is mired in its underbelly, focusing on the two ends of the spectrum: the shadowy figures who run the casino, and the losers who waste their whole lives in it. It's hard to find a movie believable when there's nothing familiar in the middle to hold on to. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just interesting. The other thing I couldn't help but notice was the soundtrack. Again, I think it bucks the trend of other movies in its genre, opting for a series of slow blues and jazz tunes which are quite depressing yet effective. I think the music reflected the mood of the film excellently.

As I mentioned before, I liked the movie, but I found it kind of forgettable. Maybe I didn't identify well with the characters, or didn't find the story very interesting. I'm pretty demanding with my movies, and I like them to have an emotional effect on me - in the end, while I found it well-done and mildly entertaining, I can't say it had any such kind of effect.