The Cooler
Directed by: Wayne Kramer
Release Date: November 26, 2003 (ltd)
Rated: R
Lions Gate Films

The Cooler is Bernie Lootz, and The Cooler is a love story about the changing fortunes of this real loser who has made a career out of his contagious bad luck. The Cooler plies his trade on the floor of Las Vegas' aging Shangri-La casino, an old-school "gambler's casino," a dinosaur in the shadow of the new Strip and its theme-park attractions. In this purgatory of bright lights and chirping slots, The Cooler drifts from table to table, his bad karma cooling one gambler's lucky streak after another. Like an inmate serving time, The Cooler's been here for years, paying off a nasty gambling debt he owes to the Shangri-La's slippery Director of Operations, Shelly Kaplow (Baldwin). Bernie is just days away from fulfilling his debt when he meets Natalie (Bello), a new cocktail waitress at the Shangri-La. Natalie sweeps Bernie off his feet, and after a night of much-needed raucous sex Bernie is in love. When Natalie starts to love him back, Bernie's luck starts to change. Feeling good for the first time in years, Bernie can't wait to leave Las Vegas and move on with his life with the woman of his dreams. But will Shelly let his most valued asset leave so easily?