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The Cooler<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(2003)<\/p>\n To pay off an old gambling debt, Bernie Lootz (William H. Macey) works for Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin), the old school head of the Shangri-La casino, as a “cooler,” a gambler so unlucky he causes everyone around him to lose.<\/p>\n After he pays off his debt, Bernie plans to leave Vegas. \u00a0To convince him to stay, Shelley pays cocktail waitress Natalie Belisario (Maria Bello) to pretend to fall in love with him, but things backfire when she develops genuine feelings for Bernie.<\/p>\n Baldwin is excellent as Shelley Kaplow, a slightly more reserved Tommy Devito<\/a>. Both men believe violence is always the preferred solution to the problems of everyday life.<\/p>\n Ron Livingston has had a solid career, but seemed headed for more after\u00a0Office Space<\/em>\u00a0(1999).<\/i><\/p>\n William H. Macey’s range is a limited. He’s great as a hapless everyman<\/a>, but struggles with anything else.<\/p>\n Maria Bello is a fine character actress, but not leading lady material and the lack of chemistry between her and Macey makes the central romance difficult to believe.<\/p>\n A neo-noir love letter to Vegas before the corporate takeover of casinos, this melancholic film pales in comparison to Atlantic City<\/em> (1980), which covers many of the same notes\u00a0with\u00a0Vegas’s spiritual sister<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n