The Cooler

William H. Macy may move in familiar territories with this
one, but he does it with absolute brilliance. Macy plays
Bernie, a man constantly pursued by such a degree of bad
luck that it’s contagious. He works as a “cooler” at the
Shangri-La, hired by the old-fashioned casino manager
Shelly (Alec Baldwin). His task? To cut winning streaks short
by his mere presence! However, when Nathalie (Maria
Bello), surprisingly falls in love with him, Bernie’s luck seems
to change. But the trouble is that Shelly now risks losing his
most valuable possession – his cooler.

Macy’s facial expressions may be as deadpan as ever, but
at the same time he glows with an inner fire, making this one
of his finest and most vivid performances up to date. Alec
Baldwin is right on the spot as the casino director – brutal
and unscrupulous, yet still very human – it takes a master to
depict the truly complex character of Shelly. Baldwin passes
with flying colours.

The Cooler might be rough, and a sad tale to boot, yet
South African-born Wayne Kramer manages to pull it
off – and the result is a true gem.

Martin Wegeland

Medverkande
William H Macy,Maria Bello,Alec Baldwin: Producent
Alessandro Camon: Manus
Frank Hannah: Foto
James Whitaker: Musik
Mark Isham: Talat språk
English