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Information

Year
2003
Runtime
101 min.
Director
Wayne Kramer
Genres
Drama, Romance
Rating *
7.0
Votes *
27,104
Checks
1,650
Favs
69
Dislikes
16
Favs/checks
4.2% (1:24)
Favs/dislikes
4:1
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. Siskoid's avatar

    Siskoid

    The Cooler really should also be filed under the Fantasy genre because William H. Macy's luck - which goes from bad (which is why he's employed to "cool" casino patrons' lucky streaks) to good (after he falls in love) - is truly supernatural in its effects. And absurd in its execution in the middle of an otherwise grounded drama that avoids becoming what I think the audience really wants it to be, once the table has been set: a revenge heist picture in which Alec Baldwin's old-school casino manager gets his comeuppance. If it does lean that way, it's only in the slightest sense. I do not like the resolution, which is half-Scorsese, half-James Gunn. The real light in the picture, as much for the audience as for Macy's character, is Maria Bello, who gives a naturalistic performance you can fall in love with. And to give it its due, The Cooler is a bit like those revisionist "last" westerns that spelled out the end of an era (and of a genre), with the traditional casino under threat from the tourist trap "new" Vegas, but it also has too many subplots jostling for attention for it to really hit satisfactorily. Ultimately, it's an odd assembly of different ideas. 2 months 3 weeks ago
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In 1 official list

  1. This movie ranks #739 in TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films
    TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films's icon

    TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films

    739
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