William Macy tries something different in this movie--he plays a loser! In fact, he radiates bad luck. He works in a casino where they pay him merely to stand beside people winning too much at the tables. As soon as he arrives the winners start to lose and this pleases casino boss Alec Baldwin. It's an amusing premise but unfortunately there is no humor at all in this film. In fact, it's mean spirited, violent and worst of all, pointless! I thought it might pick up when Paul Sorvino appears as an aging lounge singer, but he's gone 5 minutes later. The only inspired section of this film is the final credits which are super-imposed over newsreels showing the demolition of numerous old casinos. If you *really* want to see a dark, depressing meditation on Vegas life, check out Paul Thomas Anderson's HARD EIGHT.
Review of The Cooler
