The Cooler
2003 · Movie · R · 101 min · ★ 6.7 · 74% critics
In a fading Las Vegas casino, a down-on-his-luck employee is paid to “cool” winning streaks simply by being nearby. When a new romance starts to brighten his life, his role becomes harder to play, putting him at odds with a hard-nosed boss and the casino’s shifting power dynamics.
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Watch free on Amazon Prime Video and Tubi — also streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Howdy.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 2003
- Release date
- 2003-11-26
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 74/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.7/10 (390 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want an adult, slightly dark Vegas romance with bursts of tension and strong performances; Not for you if you dislike harsh language, violence, or explicit sex scenes, or prefer lighter gambling stories like Alice.
Pros: strong lead performances; edgy Vegas atmosphere; offbeat romantic angle | Cons: uneven pacing later; familiar crime beats; violence and explicit scenes
Themes
- hotel
- card game
- drug abuse
- casino
- bad luck
- jinx
- las vegas
- voyeurism
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actor · 2004 · nominated
Cast & crew
William H. Macy
as Bernie Lootz
Alec Baldwin
as Shelly Kaplow
Maria Bello
as Natalie Belisario
Shawn Hatosy
as Mikey
Ron Livingston
as Larry Sokolov
Paul Sorvino
as Buddy Stafford
Estella Warren
as Charlene
Arthur J. Nascarella
as Nicky Fingers Bonnatto
Joey Fatone
as Johnny Cappella
M.C. Gainey
as Highway Officer
Directed by Wayne Kramer