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There are certain
actors that just sell a movie for me. More
often than not, it’s not the big stars
that grab my attention. It’s usually
the underappreciated character actors who
audiences know by sight, but not by name.
William H. Macy is a perfect example. Here
he is, a terrific actor yet a lot of people
I talk to don’t have any clue who
he is. He’s been in countless productions
both on the big screen and on TV, including
Little Bill in “Boogie Nights”,
The Shoveller in “Mystery Men”,
Major Caldwell in “Air Force One”,
and as Tick Tock McGlaughlin in “Seabiscuit.”
He’s even been nominated for Academy
Awards for his roles in “Fargo”
and “Magnolia.” Yet most people
don’t know him until they see the
face.
Last year, Macy took the leading role in
Lions Gate’s “The Cooler.”
Macy plays Bernie Lootz, who through an
unfortunate gambling streak winds up owing
casino owner Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin)
more than he can ever repay.
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Lootz becomes what is known in the business as
a ‘cooler’, someone with so much bad
luck that casino owners have them walk past the
tables of big winners in an attempt to end their
winning streak. With little more than a week to
go to pay off the debt, he finds himself in the
arms of Natalie (Maria Bello) a waitress at the
casino. Initially Lootz questions her attraction
to him, after all who could fall for a loser like
him? However, once he starts to believe she is
in love with him, he starts to have a different
outlook on life. He stands a little straighter,
walks a little taller, and unfortunately starts
to lose his ‘cool.’
Almost everything about this movie works the way
it should. The film has that ‘seedy’
look you would expect, and every performance is
extraordinary. Macy is at his hang-dog best, and
Alec Baldwin even got himself an Oscar nomination
for his role as Kaplow. Even Maria Bello, who
is better known for her TV roles, which include
a stint on “E.R.” does a terrific
job as the struggling waitress.
Now, I say almost everything works. The only thing
that took a little away from the film for me was
the inclusion of too many side stories. The main
plot surrounding Lootz, Kaplow and Natalie had
more than enough going for it to deliver a really
good movie. However, the writers decided to throw
in Lootz’s son, himself a loser who shows
up asking for money with his pregnant girlfriend.
Then we have to deal with a character that is
thrown in who wants to shake things up at the
casino. He recommends changing it from an old-fashioned
gambling house into one of the newer, friendlier
and glitzier show palaces. This of course, goes
against everything Kaplow wants for the club.
To be fair, these side stories are interesting,
but they over complicate a story that really doesn’t
need the extra baggage.
Now that the film has a little more attention
thrown its way, Lions Gate is releasing it on
DVD, complete with a few extra features. There
are two separate commentaries. The first is by
director Wayne Kramer, co-writer Frank Hannah
and director of photography Jim Whitaker. The
other features Kramer again, but this time he
is joined by composer Mark Isham. Both commentaries
offer up some interesting tidbits about the film,
and much to his credit, it is Walker who really
keeps the conversation going.
If you’re familiar with the Sundance Channel,
there is a show called “Anatomy of a Scene”
that features… well… the anatomy of
scenes from different films. The DVD includes
the episode that focuses on this particular film
and gives the viewer a detailed look at the process
of filming a scene. There is also a storyboard
comparison for a few scenes.
“The Cooler” was one of those little
seen films, which did ‘okay’ business
at the box office. If it hadn’t been for
Alec Baldwin’s Academy Award nomination,
the film might have been lost altogether. Fortunately,
it’s started to gain an audience, and is
sure to do even better on DVD.
Directed by: Wayne Kramer
Starring: William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Shawn
Hatosy, Ron Livingston, Estella Warren, Paul Sorvino,
Alec Baldwin
Extras: Director and Crew Commentaries, Anatomy
of a Scene, Storyboard Comparisons, 5.1 Music
Only Track
Specifications: Widescreen (2.85:1) Enhanced for
16X9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Lions Gate
Release Date: 4/27/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (For Strong Sexuality, Violence,
Language, and Some Drug Use)
Website
Website
We'll give The Cooler an A.
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