The Cooler (2003)

Loveable Losers Movie #3

Synopsis: Sad sack secures squeeze, sabotages specialty, stings sociopathic supervisor.

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Everything was going so well...and then he got lucky.”

What Did I Learn?: Broke, depressed and lame (literally) goofballs stand an excellent chance of seducing women who look like Maria Bello if they seem caring and sincere.

You Might Like This Movie If: You've always wanted to see Alec Baldwin flip out.

Really?: So wait - Larry, Mr. By-the-book/Call-the-cops is suddenly all in favour of roughing up Bernie (William H. Macy) when he's on a winning streak? And what's the deal with Shelly's face-turn?

Rating: Highly reminiscent of Mad Dog and Glory, The Cooler is an enjoyable character-driven drama about damaged people who find true love in a very odd place. While Macy is quite good as Bernie, and Bello is incredibly sexy as the hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold, Baldwin provides a multi-layered, and highly impressive performance as the vicious-but-fair casino boss villain; you're never entirely sure what to think of Shelly Kaplow, which certainly keeps things interesting. 7.5/10 stars.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318374/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1