A "cooler" is the term for casino employees who "turn" a customer's good luck and hot streak upside down. Bernie Lootz (a sad sack William H Macy) is a walking, talking purveyor of malas, and as such is the best cooler in Shangri-La casino in Las Vegas. Mere days from his eventual retirement, he can't wait to get out of the business, after years of repaying a debt to casino boss Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin). That is, until Lady Luck in the form of waitress Natalie (the fetching Maria Bello) smiles upon him, and overnight, sheds off the bad aura. Naturally, Shelly isn't pleased because the customers are also infected with Bernie's good luck, running up winnings that the casino's shadowy mob investors frown upon. Eventually, things come to a head, secrets spill out, and Bernie and Natalie have to make a stand. A traditional fable in modern-day settings, The Cooler is a feel-good story (and a critic's favorite) amidst the harsh nature of the artificial paradise that is Vegas. Some interesting highlights include seeing Paul Sorvino mugging as a has-been lounge singer, and that overly-hyped Macy and Bello nude scene (yeah, right - this isn't exactly Basic Instinct so what's the fuss all about? *lol*).
"I reckon kicking a pregnant woman will garner me an Oscar nomination - take that, you New York tabloid idiots!"
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