Wayne Kramer’s odd and oddly intriguing film works largely on the shoulders of William H. Macy, who has perfected the art of playing the sympathetic sad sack. As the “cooler” of the title, he plays a guy so downbeat and lowly that a Vegas casino employs him to bring bad luck to those on a winning streak. Alec Baldwin has a classic Alec Baldwin performance as a casino boss who doesn’t want to let go of the “old ways”; his character is complicated in the best sense, which nicely describes the film as a whole. Part black comedy and part melodrama, it is at times touching, at times funny, and at other times just downright bizarre, but it’s always engaging, right down to its rightfully ludicrous climax. (DVD)