The Cooler

As I am always on the forefront of breaking news and trends, I just recently watched Wayne Kramer's great 2003 film, The Cooler. This small, independent film contains great performances, inspired directing, and some outstanding dialog that definitely put it at the top of my list for that year. (Now if I could only remember the year 2003...)

William H. Macy plays the downtrodden loser like no-one else can. His droopy eyes, sagging shoulders, and quiet resignation projects a pathos akin to a mangy puppy at the pound that no-one is ever going to adopt. Limping through life with his tail between his legs, his luck is so bad that it affects all those around him. Like Pig Pen and his cloud of dirt, gloom envelops Macy and sucks the joy from everything around him.

Maria Bello plays the hooker with a heart of gold. Ok, not really. She does play one of those damaged people that Vegas seems to harbor en mass. You never know her story, but it is obvious that she has suffered a few of her own hard knocks. At first I didn't quite buy the relationship between the two, but as it progressed it really did make sense how someone like her would be attracted to someone who wasn't trying to scam her for the first time ever. Having been to Vegas quite a few times, I can relate. There is a seedy, sleazy undertone to the whole place where your value is only as high as you're willing to buy.

Alec Baldwin is great as the hard-nosed Shelly who is the last vestige of the old Vegas of Sinatra and The Flamingo: chain-smoking, whiskey-drinking, bare-knuckles brawling, men in fedoras. He projects the perfect mix of suave business man and crude gangster in an Oscar-worthy performance (he lost out to Tim Robbins for Mystic River).

Some of the dialog in The Cooler is some of the best I've heard in years--most given by Baldwin. Reminiscent of Mamet at times, but a little more fluid and with less staccato. It is a pleasure to hear and see on film. The design choice for Macy's color theme is truly inspired. The pale greens that dominate his wardrobe and long-term hotel room, perfectly reflect the pervasive sickly, nauseating existence that is his life.

Some people bashed the movie for its ending, but I particularly like it as it was unexpected to me. Director and co-writer Kramer handles with skill and precision and creates a simple, yet compelling story and moves along naturally and efficiently. I'm not familiar with his other efforts, but based upon this excellent offering I think they are definitely worth checking out.

Enjoyable, satisfying, and pure genius at time, The Cooler is an awesome movie. I'm so glad I could expose this wonderful piece of cinema in such a timely fashion. Stay tuned to for my next review of another new release, Patton. ;)


The Cooler (2003)
Starring: William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Alec Baldwin
Directed by: Wayne Kramer

(6 out of 7 skinks)