William H. Macy adds another quirky, offbeat, and original character to his resume in the form of Bernie Lootz, a sad-sack loser who has the worst luck in town. Unfortunately for him, that town happens to be Las Vegas. He gets hired by his old friend Shelly Kaplowitz (the excellent Alec Baldwin, hitting his stride) to work at the Shangri-La Hotel and Casino, where his bad luck rubs off on the gamblers previously doing well at the tables. But Lootz isn't actually getting paid; he owes money to Shelly, so he is merely working off his debt. Things go haywire when he meets Natalie (Maria Bello) and falls instantly in love--threatening to change his luck. Meanwhile, Shelly is trying to keep the old-school feel of the casino, battling Larry Sokolov (Ron Livingston), who wants to update the place into a glitzy multimedia entertainment center. This struggle of old versus new is also seen in Sokolov's plans to replace aging lounge singer Buddy (Paul Sorvino) with hot newcomer Johnny Capella (Joey Fatone of *NSYNC). THE COOLER, screenwriter Wayne Kramer's directorial debut, is everything an independent film should be: intelligent, entertaining, thought-provoking, and never predictable. The soundtrack includes songs by Fatone, Sorvino, and Diana Krall. Watch out for the subtle references to Frank Capra's LOST HORIZON, which influenced Kramer's depiction of the Shangri-La as an old-time paradise.