The Cooler

Wow. I have to say, I rather enjoyed The Cooler.

First... let's define what a Cooler is. In this movie, a Cooler is someone who goes out to turn down the heat. What heat? Well, in this situation it's when you're "on fire" at the casino tables, or when you're "hot" at the pokies.

Bernie, played by William H Macy, was employed to be a cooler. Someone who walks around the casino tables and essentially, stops douses the flames of anyone on a roll. That's as much as I'll say without spoiling the movie ;)

The movie itself was clever. The way it was filmed was excellent, with subtle things here and there reflecting how things were changing as Bernie changes. I also liked how things like someone screaming with delight then suddenly screaming profanities came in as Bernie walks past. The transition was seemless.

The story was good. and I think the casting was excellent. Well... with the exception of Joey Fatone (from Nsync) who plays a singer at the lounge. I guess they could have chosen someone else, but it did bring in an element that I guess the director would have wanted you to see.

I guess the movie could have done without a few things... like in the beginning with Shelly, played by Alec Baldwin, getting a manicure... but it showed how wacky the characters were and how they wanted to break free from their usual routine. There's one bedroom scene that completely cracked me up. Oh... Maria Bello released her breasts to the world in this film!! (Who's she? She's the original coyote from Coyote Ugly!)

All in all, I would say this was an entertaining movie, every thing that came up fell into place. It's a Drama with a little comedy. I liked the way the movie ended. It summed things up nicely.

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318374/

Official Website: http://www.thecoolermovie.com/