The Cooler (2003)
- Starring:
- William H. Macy, Maria Bello, (more)
- Director(s):
- Wayne Kramer
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R
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Writer/director Wayne Kramer offers a glimpse into the aging Las Vegas casino world with the romantic drama The Cooler. Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) is extremely unlucky at gambling, and he owes the Shangri-La casino over 100,000 dollars. He is so unlucky that he is hired as a "cooler," someone to gamble next to high rollers and give them some of his bad luck to stop them from winning. This arrangement works out for awhile, until Bernie has almost paid off his debt and meets cocktail waitress Natalie Belisario (Maria Bello). The two start to fall in love and Bernie's luck begins to change. However, the old-fashioned mob boss Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin) isn't going to let Bernie go so easily. Meanwhile, Larry Sokolov (Ron Livingston) arrives on the scene to help update the business management of the old mobster-run casino. Also starring Joey Fatone and Paul Sorvino as lounge singers. The Cooler was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the dramatic competition at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 102 mins
Complete Cast:
- William H. Macy - Bernie Lootz
- Alec Baldwin - Shelly Kaplow
- Ron Livingston - Larry Sokolov
- Estella Warren - Charlene
- M.C. Gainey - Highway Officer
- Joey Fatone - Johnny Capella
- Tony Longo - Tony
- Timothy Landfield - The Player
- Jewel Shepard - Hooker
- Doc Watson - Morrie
- James McCarthy - Televangelist
- Norbert Ganska - Stickman #1
- Kanie Kastroll - Croupier
- Heather McHenry - Johnny Capella's Girls
- Monet Beaman - Stickman #5
- M.C. Fatone - Highway Officer
- Frank Hannah - Dealer #2
- Cherilyn Hayres - Woman
- Charlie Carr - Boxman
- Mitch Samboceti - Player
- Maria Bello - Natalie Belisario
- Shawn Hatosy - Mikey
- Paul Sorvino - Buddy Stafford
- Arthur Nascarella - Nicky "Fingers" Bonnatto
- Ellen Greene - Doris
- Don Scribner - Lou
- Richard Israel - Marty Goldfarb
- T. J. Gioia - Bulldog
- Gordon Michaels - Mr. Pinkerton
- Andrew Simbeck - Stickman #2
- Danny Grossen - Stickman #3
- John T. Kozeluh - Man
- Larry Elliott - Floor Manager
- Joe Conti - Pit Boss
- Dan Lemieux - Suburbanite
- Jeff Hill - Stickman #4
- Monica White - Johnny Capella's Girls
- Bryon Baker - Stickman #6
- Chris Platt - Dealer
- Director(s):
- Wayne Kramer
- Writer(s):
- Wayne Kramer, Frank Hannah
- Producer(s):
- Lulu Zezza, Sean Furst, Michael Pierce
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R(Substance Abuse, Profanity, Strong Sexual Content, Nudity, Violence)
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
- 2003 - The Cooler - National Board of Review - Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking
- 2003 - The Cooler - National Board of Review - Best Supporting Actor
