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The Cooler (2003) Lions Gate
Films, 1 hr. 41 mins.
Starring:
William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin, Maria Bello, Paul Sorvino, Shawn Hatosy,
Ron Livingston, Estelle Warren
Directed by:
Wayne Kramer |
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Viva Las Vegas! The well lit Mecca
of mayhem where dreams can be made and crushed just with one single toss
of the dice. This is a city of chance where winning and losing streaks
come and go in a deceptive manner that no one can control for
certain—least of all the gambler with the cards already stacked against
them from the time they step foot in a shifty casino. It’s the same
casino, incidentally, that gives off the façade of being an adult’s
amusement park where the rides are enjoyable so long as you don’t mind
being lost in an endless stream of desperate souls and the elusive
jackpots that they chase by every means necessary. Well, Las Vegas also
serves as a crafty backdrop for writer-director Wayne Kramer’s quirky and
disturbing melodrama The Cooler where romance and risky business are as
complicated as conquering a heated game of craps.
Kramer welcomes the vibrant seediness of the gambling capital of the world
and sets it against the lost individuals whose empty lives are dependent
upon the glitzy but devouring reputation that claims so many expectations
from giddy hopefuls looking to prosper. There have been so many films that
have successfully captured the seedy allure of Las Vegas from different
perspectives. With Kramer’s The Cooler, the film doesn’t necessarily show
us anything radical or probing per se but the psychological heft behind
the closed doors of this money-making illusion that defines profit and
personal pain makes for a riveting and revealing character study of
cynicism. Armed with a witty wickedness and intriguing premise that’s
stylish and thoroughly exuberant, The Cooler belongs in the pantheon of
ultra-cool flicks that effectively examine the psyche of Las Vegas and its
on-going mysticism.
Enter the nebbish and numbing existence of Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy),
a disabled dud with a bum leg and a non-existent lifestyle to go along
with his misfortune. Bernie is employed at the Shangri-La casino, the last
dinosaur of its kind to cater to the upscale mindset of the gambling
community. Anyway, being a loser in life is what makes Bernie valuable to
his job—his “walking disaster area” gimmick is put to use as a cooler in
the casino. A cooler is the terminology for a bad luck charm to hover
around the tables in hope that their mere miserable presence causes a
streaky high roller to “cool” down his winning ways so that he doesn’t
break the bank of the concerned casino overseeing the activity. So when
you’re feeling untouchable at the table and the money starts rolling in
like there’s no tomorrow, expect good ole Bernie to visit your spot and
share in the brief jubilation only to turn down the celebration with his
joy-breaking vibes. At this point, you’d be better off diving into a field
of poison ivy.
Bernie works for casino owner and longtime old friend Shelly Kaplow (Alec
Baldwin in an Oscar-caliber performance), an overprotective Papa of his
precious Shangri-La business. Shelly comes from the old school where his
operating interests are as simplistic and plain as they can be and thus
shall remain the same. Where Vegas is becoming more progressive and
technologically advanced, Shelly is in danger of falling behind the times.
When Shelly is told that casinos scattered across the Nevada landscape are
turning to modernized methods that are representing the fast-paced times
of today, the Shangri-La mastermind is indifferent to this whole mockery
and won’t buy into this new philosophy of business. His loyalty in using a
worn-out cooler in the likes of old buddy Bernie or insisting on relying
on a drug-dependent relic crooner (Paul Sorvino) that can no longer fill
his lounge room with underwear-waving hordes of horny women is admirable
and consistent. However, Shelly is reluctant to accept the fact that
changing gears may be an interesting option to consider. After all, doing
the routine ritual is what got Shelly Kaplow where he is today—sitting on
a gold mine and doing things his dependable old-fashioned way.
Soon, the heat is on and things start to unravel for the self-assured
Shelly. First Bernie warns that his paid off debt to his boss is over and
done with and he chooses to move along and put Vegas behind him in a
matter of days. Then his maturing crooner suddenly dies of a drug overdose
that may have been administered by Shelly himself. And his casino is
loosing money up the kazoo in amazing fashion. Since Shelly won’t yield to
his management team’s advice for improving the Shangri-La with their
suggestions, he schemes to prevent his sad sack “sure thing” Bernie from
leaving Vegas in an effort to keep his cooler capabilities in tact at his
reeling casino. Shelly is determined to undermine the needed updating of
his casino and restore the old way of doing things while keeping his
Shangri-La as the retro resort for gambling entertainment.
As Bernie begins to feel good about his finally being able to break away
from the Vegas stronghold that has kept him hostage all this time certain
changes start to miraculously happen to him as well. For starters, the
middle-aged and even-tempered sourpuss starts to find romance with a hot
young co-worker in casino waitress Natalie (Maria Bello) who suspiciously
becomes “enchanted” with him out of the blue. Bernie did save an
overwhelmed Natalie from an abusive patron previously but even so the
semi-crippled cooler cannot fathom why this petite blonde bombshell would
want to tickle his old and broken down fancy. Nevertheless, the mismatched
couple gradually forms an emotional and sexual union that’s liberating,
particularly for Bernie who’s used to being an unwilling bystander when
the noisy horndogs in his adjoining motel room make loud and inconvenient
passionate love. Now, things somehow don’t seem to be as bad since having
Natalie come along and spice up the lonely, dingy living space.
With Natalie being a welcomed and unexpected pleasure, Bernie would soon
find an unlikely reunion of sorts when he mysteriously bumps into his
estranged con-artist grown-up son Mikey (Shawn Hatosy) and his falsely
pregnant girlfriend and accomplice Charlene (Estelle Warren) at a local
dining area. Mikey’s scam of bumming money off his remorseful father would
prove to be costly when he takes his tainted trade to the casino walls of
the Shangri-La where short-tempered Shelly will ultimately make Bernie pay
dearly thanks to his wayward son’s ill-advised escapades. The pieces will
eventually fall into place as we find out just how much the intrusive
Shelly has been instrumental in pulling the strings of Bernie’s hapless
puppet away from the casino. Will Bernie ever escape the clutches of the
possessive Shelly? How will Bernie and Natalie’s love and affection
survive the inescapable wrath of Las Vegas?
The Cooler is smooth fun in its subtle duplicity. Kramer is skillful at
unleashing the plot devices so that they come undone at the right moments
where we are able to loose ourselves in the step-by-step unraveling of the
characters’ revelations. It’s refreshing where you cannot necessarily
telegraph the scenes ahead of time. And even if you could, one wouldn’t
mind how Kramer arrives at his climatic highlights because much like the
hectic surroundings in Vegas you have to go along with your instincts and
hunches in anticipating the best to come. Kramer’s narrative is steeped in
the decorative dysfunction of Las Vegas where the glaring lights brighten
up the dark sections of human consciousness that is waiting to break out
of an empty funk of despair. There is something so comical yet sad about
the so-called excitement that is generated by the celebrated gleam of
flashiness that paints Vegas as the escapist destination where dreams are
supposedly executed with aplomb. Decadence is easily applauded and
Kramer’s wry microscope of his wounded players can certainly support this
notion.
The performances are three-dimensional and robust, particularly by the
leading trio that head up Kramer's quaint, gritty odyssey. Macy is
untouchable when it comes to portraying sheepish prototypes that are
always willing to grasp the short end of the stick. As Bernie Lootz, Macy
is profoundly clever as his creepy persona manages to hold on to what
little bit of humanity he has left in his disillusioned limping body. One
may argue that Macy tends to play this kind of character over and over in
redundant fashion but that doesn’t take away the fact that he does it to
near vulnerable perfection. Baldwin is riotous and charismatic as the
acid-tongued casino owner Shelly Kaplow whose penchant for loyalty and
lunacy is blinded by his selfish ambitious drive to please no one but
himself. Next to Shelly being his own love interest, Baldwin is able to
convey the twisted admiration he has reserved for his massive enterprise
that cannot be remarkably substituted for the explosive loving a fine
woman. Baldwin is narcissistic and ruthlessly controlling in his role and
hopefully Oscar voters can see what nuance he brings to this beleaguered
characterization. And Bello is just as worthy with her Oscar-worthy stint
as a gal caught between two opportunistic men looking to seize their
interests in the rat race that has swallowed them completely. Bello’s
Natalie is sexy, hypnotic and a victim of her own malaise.
The Cooler is more than just another look at doom and desperation that is
another cunning commentary on the precarious playground that is Las Vegas.
Kramer’s showcase is also an exhilarating taste as to what it takes to
appreciate love for those who refuse it unknowingly or find it
unceremoniously and turn it into their own fortunate prospects.
And that my friends are the preferred high stakes for which you can bet
your last lucky dollar on. |
