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Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) has such devastatingly bad luck that it’s infectious — just by bumping into a hot hand, Bernie can instantaneously turn it cold. And so he does by acting as a “cooler” at the gritty Shangri-la Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas, a job forced upon him by the slippery Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin), the casino’s director of operations, in order to pay off an outstanding debt. Once the debt is repaid, Bernie wants nothing more than to put Vegas behind him, much to Shelly’s dismay, since he has become reliant on Bernie’s cooling abilities. In a devious attempt to lure him to stay, Shelly throws a gorgeous waitress named Natalie (Maria Bello) his way, but the plan backfires when Bernie and Natalie end up falling for each other and Bernie’s bad luck begins to turn.
"I have worked with Ed several times, and he is the best kind of producer: he picks great scripts and great people, and he lets them work. I was in The Cooler because of Ed. He thought it was a great role for me, and after I foolishly passed on the film, he would not take no for an answer until I came to my senses. God willing, I’ll do another project with Mr. Pressman. As a matter of fact, I have a script right now that…"
- WILLIAM H. MACY,
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Director: Frank Hannah, Wayne Kramer
Screenplay: Frank Hannah, Wayne Kramer
Cast: William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin, Maria Bello
Executive Producers: Edward R. Pressman, Alessandro Camon, Robert Gryphon, Joe Madden, Brett Morrison, John Schmidt
Associate Producer: Andrew Busey
Co-Producers: Bryan Furst, Elliot Lewis Rosenblatt
Distributor: Lions Gate Films
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