Luck - or the lack of it - is the name of the game in Wayne Kramer's The Cooler, a Las Vegas love story that "lends a sobering, contemporary edge to well-worn clichés." Although it got a mixed reaction from critics, most agreed that Maria Bello's performance opposite William H Macy was one of the best of 2003, thus earning her a Golden Globe nomination along with Alec Baldwin - who also scored an Oscar nod for his portrayal of a mad dog casino boss. It was the heat generated by this talented cast, which ensured a warm reception at the global box office.
Cards On The Table
A slim package of extras accompanies the film on DVD, but the all-encompassing Anatomy Of A Scene featurette (from a series produced by the Sundance Channel) raises the game. Everything from location, production design, costumes, lighting, editing and scoring is carefully examined in reference to a key scene - the morning after Bernie (Macy) "gets lucky" with Natalie (Bello). You're asked to consider everything from the contrast of Bernie's ill-fitting suits at the start of the film and his sharply tailored look later on, to the difference between the dimensions of rolling dice shot through different film lenses.
The quality of the casting/acting also comes under the spotlight, with Macy commenting, "I'd sworn off losers before Wayne sent me this script." But Baldwin steals the show again as a series of outtakes show him gradually losing his rag with a bit part actor who continually kills his one line of dialogue. And so the secret of Baldwin's ferocious performance is revealed...
The Winning Hand
Director Wayne Kramer talks you through the film twice - once accompanied by co-writer Frank Hannah and cinematographer James Whitaker, while the second offers an unusually in-depth analysis of the score with composer Mark Isham. In case you hadn't noticed, the ripple of smooth 60s and 70s jazz was crucial to creating just the right ambience for this ode to old Las Vegas.
The first commentary is similarly laidback but very revealing, as when Kramer points out that it was Frank Hannah's hand that groped Maria Bello's breast in her introductory scene - Hannah adding that this delicate operation required "17 takes" to nail. Yeesh.
It may not hit the jackpot regarding the quantity of extras, but with its painstaking attention to detail, The Cooler is a hot purchase on DVD.
EXTRA FEATURES
