Opening Wednesday, November 26, 2003
A Lions Gate Films Release

The Cooler is Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy), and
THE COOLER is a love story about the changing fortunes
of this 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 (Alec Baldwin).
Bernie is just days away from fulfilling his debt
when he meets Natalie (Maria 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?