The Cooler is a 2003 American crime drama film directed by Wayne Kramer, from a screenplay by Frank Hannah and Kramer. The film stars William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Shawn Hatosy, Ron Livingston, Estella Warren, Paul Sorvino, and Alec Baldwin. It follows a casino "cooler" whose mere presence at the gambling tables usually results in a streak of bad luck for the other players.
The Cooler had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 2003, and was released in limited theaters in the United States by Lions Gate Films on November 26, 2003. Baldwin and Bello were nominated for Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards for their supporting performances, with Baldwin also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Plot
In Las Vegas, unlucky Bernie Lootz works at the Shangri-La casino as a "cooler" – a man with near-professional bad luck, his presence at a casino designed to stop people from winning. A cocktail waitress, Natalie, takes no real notice of Bernie, who is smitten with her. The casino manager and partner, Shelly, prides himself on running a "classically" Las Vegas casino, and resents the new establishments that attract a lower clientele. The owners, however, hire an advisor named Larry to help bring in more money with techniques contrary to Shelly's outdated policies. Bernie informs Shelly that he is leaving town in a week.
After an encounter during which Bernie rescues Natalie from an aggressive customer, she appears to take an interest in him. Eager to prevent Bernie from leaving the casino, Shelly secretly prods Natalie into asking him out for a drink. They end up sleeping together, after which Natalie takes a genuine interest in Bernie. Although they begin seeing each other, Bernie is apprehensive due to his mostly bad luck. He reveals to Natalie that he used to be a gambling addict and was in huge debt to several casinos; Shelly "saved" him by breaking his kneecap and paying off his debts in exchange for Bernie's work as a cooler for six years, which ends at the end of the week. By accident, the couple run into Bernie's estranged son Mikey and his pregnant wife Charlotte, who are scamming a diner by faking labor. Bernie tells Mikey to stop by the casino sometime.
Bernie is happy with his new relationship and his "cooling" abilities reverse, bringing good luck instead, much to Shelly's anger. Mikey and Charlotte come by the motel and Bernie gives them $3,000, but Natalie is skeptical of Charlotte's behavior. When Bernie reveals to Natalie he intends to leave Vegas, she initially says she won't go with him and Bernie is upset. When Bernie fails to cool Mikey at the craps table, Shelly realizes he is being cheated by Mikey. Shelly takes Mikey and Charlotte downstairs and his crew begins beating Mikey. Bernie then promises to pay the $150,000 Mikey was up, but Shelly breaks Mikey's hand and punches Charlotte, revealing her pregnancy was being faked anyway. Though distraught, that night Natalie and Bernie confess their love for one another, and Bernie again becomes a good luck charm.
Shelly calls Natalie to his office and reminds her that he hired her to date Bernie so he wouldn't leave Vegas, not to fall in love with him, which has made him both happy and lucky. He forces her to leave town abruptly, which hurts Bernie and ruins his luck. Natalie does truly love Bernie, though, and returns, thus restoring Bernie's luck. Shelly goes to Bernie's motel room and begins packing for Natalie. Arguing, Shelly slaps Natalie thus knocking her face into a mirror which shatters and leaves her severely cut up. After a tense exchange wherein she claims Bernie is the closest thing Shelly has to a friend and he doesn't want him to leave, he simply leaves her there. When Bernie comes home, she reveals Shelly hired her to pretend to like him, but she truly fell in love with him. Bernie takes Natalie to the hospital emergency room after which he consoles her over her injured face.
Banking on his good luck brought on by Natalie's devotion, Bernie confronts Shelly and calls him a coward with nothing in his life but the casino. Shelly lets him go on the condition he pay back the $150,000, which Bernie tries to win at craps. Larry wants Shelly to stop Bernie's hot streak, but Shelly takes him into the men's room and beats him, breaking his hand. Bernie leaves, and he and Natalie drive away from Vegas. He pulls over and reveals that he won a lot of money, but a cop presumably sent by Larry approaches and readies to kill them. Meanwhile, Shelly gets in his car and finds his partner waiting for him. On Larry's behalf, he murders Shelly, saying they have to protect their interests. A drunk driver accidentally hits and kills the cop and Bernie remarks it was freaky luck, a freaky accident. Larry meets with investors as new director of casino operations and toasts a very bright future. Bernie and Natalie shown driving off into desert leaving a casino billboard behind them.