I just saw a preview of a new movie about gambling called "The Cooler" - it
is quite good, in the vein of "Hard Eight" to some extent.
William H. Macy plays Bernie Lootz, a man with chronic bad luck that quickly
spreads to those around him. His ability to give bad luck to others has given
him a job at a casino, spoiling the winning streaks of the gamblers around
him (he "cools down" the tables - thus earning him the name "the cooler".)
But when he meets and falls in love with waitress Natalie (Maria Bello), his
luck turns good and all hell breaks loose. Alec Baldwin plays the Manager
of the fictional casino (Shangri La) which is apparently an old-style mob-run
operation, with Baldwin pretty much the last of his kind, and not above
breaking the kneecaps of cheaters or hiring "the cooler" to cool the luck of
winners.
The movie has some funny moments, and gamblers will appreciate the humor
when Bernie Lootz starts giving the bad wammy to machines, table players, and
those around him. Later the film becomes more serious as he and Natalie earn
the ill favor of the casino manager (and the mob).
Also some fun is had when the owners of the casino propose to turn it into a
new-style casino (ala Steve Wynn) with lake and so on, and the manager
objects. This produced some unintentional humor for me, since the Shangri La
apparently is downtown on Fremont Street, and how they could fit in a lake
there isn't mentioned.
The acting by Macy and Bello is excellent. This independent film could take
off the way "Big Fat Greek Wedding" did last year, and might also garner
Oscar nods for Macy, Bello and even Baldwin.
The script ignored some obvious questions. If Lootz's bad luck could turn
winning dice to craps, couldn't he work with someone who would bet on "The
Don't" - or would his personal bad luck make such a proposition suddenly
produce 7s? Also it would seem like Lootz's talent would be so valuable that
major casinos would want to hire him. And even if he remained at The Shangri
La due to friendship and fear of Baldwin's
Manager, wouldn't he at least earn enough money to rent a small apartment,
rather than ending up living in a sleazy hotel, as depicted in the film?
Still these are nitpicks, in the film, which was well-acted, and interesting
enough to hold the attention of both gamblers and non-gamblers alike.
Look for it coming to a movie theater near you soon.
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