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The
Cooler (2003)
  
Director:
Wayne Kramer |
COUNTRY
USA |
GENRE
Romance/Drama |
NORWEGIAN
TITLE
The Cooler |
RUNNING
TIME
101
minutes |
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Producer:
Sean Furst
Michael Pierce
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Screenwriter:
Wayne Kramer
Frank Hannah |
Review
William
H. Macy and Maria Bello constitute the unconventional romantic couple in
this gloomy, nostalgic film about Las Vegas life and the people in it.
The film is appropriately photographed and blessed with a delightful
jazzy score by Mark Isham which provides an appealing backdrop for Wayne
Kramer's story about love, obsession and fortune. Unfortunately, Kramer
is a bit too eager to convey a message (and a somewhat naive one)
compared to how much he has to say. There is power in the depiction of
Bernie and Shelly - two lost souls devoured by a cold environment, and
fine acting by Macy and Baldwin makes them human and sadly vulnerable,
but unfortunately, they are caught in a film that flinches from
exploring the supernatural propositions which it uses for all they're
worth, notably in the banal ending. Baldwin received an Oscar-nomination for his work, which
is Glengarry
Glen Ross material with a well-hidden soft spot.
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