The Cooler is a 2003 drama / romance/ comedy film directed by Wayne Kramer and written by Kramer and Frank Hannah. It stars William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin, and Maria Bello.

Tagline: Love ...you have to play to win

Plot

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Macy plays a gambler with the worst luck imaginable — he can never win, no matter how hard he tries. A casino hires him to "cool" other gamblers' luck. But when he falls in love with a cocktail waitress (played by Bello) and his luck begins to turn, the casino boss (played by Baldwin) tries to break up the relationship. It only gets worse for the boss when his casino is being reviewed by the higher-ups, including a weaselly Ivy League upstart (Ron Livingston) who is poised to take his job.

Critical acclaim

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Alec Baldwin was nominated for the 2004 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in his role. Baldwin was also nominated for the same category at the Golden Globes, along with Maria Bello, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

Cast

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• William H. Macy - Bernie Lootz
• Alec Baldwin - Shelly Kaplow
• Maria Bello - Natalie Belisario
• Shawn Hatosy - Mikey
• Ron Livingston - Larry Sokolov
• Paul Sorvino -Buddy Stafford
• Estella Warren - Charlene
• Arthur Nascarella - Nicky 'Fingers' Bonnatto
• Joey Fatone - Johnny Cappella

External links

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• Reviews of The Cooler from the Rotten Tomatoes website

Neo-noir | 2003 films | Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nominated performance

The Cooler