Who else but William H. Macy?

It isn't often that a single actor can carry an entire film, especially when much of the material is somewhat sordid in nature. Though Nicholas Cage received an Oscar for his excellent performance in "Leaving Las Vegas," the film was so unrelentingly depressing and dank, that it redefined the word "downer." Try as he might have, Cage wasn't able to carry the entire film away from its incessant bitterness. As such, the film was an acting tour de force, and a depressing bore.

William H. Macy on the other hand, literally owns "The Cooler." A "cooler," for the uninitiated, which included me, is one whose luck is so bad, that his mere presence will ruin the luck of others around him. Just the thing for an unscrupulous casino manager (Alec Baldwin) to hire to prevent ruinous winning streaks. One would think from the film that coolers are genuine, but as I'm no expert, I can't say for sure.

So, Macy's cooler keeps the winnings down (as part of a payback of massive gambling debts) so casino manager Shelly (Baldwin) can stay happy, but, when a cocktail waitress named Natalie (Maria Bello) generates a sincere love interest for sad sack Bernie (Macy), somethin's gotta give.

Certainly one of the things that "gives," is Macy's and Bello's clothing, and their sex scenes are amazingly graphic, and often genuinely hilarious. It is the element of humor that keeps this film above the level of the general sordidness it portrays, and makes it eminently more watchable than something like "Leaving Las Vegas."

Also working at the Shangri-la, the fictitious casino/hotel in the film, is a virtually washed up and heroin-addicted singer, well played by the ever-capable Paul Sorvino. Just don't expect to see much of Sorvino, as his character apparently OD's shortly after he's introduced.

The film portrays both the "old" Las Vegas and all its nastiness, as well as the "new" Las Vegas, mockingly ridiculed by Shelly (Baldwin) as "Epcot Center bulls..." I have always been a fan of Las Vegas myself, from the old to the new, through some of the most incredibly poorly thought-out efforts ever (specifically, trying to make Vegas a "family" destination), as well as the staggeringly impressive new mega resorts such as The Bellagio and The Venetian.

I also remember, as a quintessential part of the "old" las Vegas, seeing the huge crowds of all the "beautiful people," most likely deliberately put on display, on Friday and Saturday nights in the old pre-fire MGM Grand, and Caesar's Palace across the street. Just as the monumental costs of building the new "palaces" are obvious in all the architectural details, so too were the sleazy efforts on the parts of the old-style casino bosses to make patrons part with their hard-earned cash.

"The Cooler's" Shelly (Baldwin) is of the old-school philosophy, and that not only excludes new mega resort plans, but includes some of the old standby's, such as beatings, and bone breakings.

Though the plot is somewhat predictable, it is Macy who carries this entire film on his shoulders, and makes viewing it such a pleasure. His sadness, disappointment in his useless son, true love for Natalie, genuine happiness, and ultimate fury are all entirely believable and performed by Macy as no one else possibly could have. Though it was Baldwin who received an Oscar nomination for "Best Actor," it should have been Macy, at least in this reviewer's opinion.

I've never been much of a fan of Baldwin, but his work here is excellent. His character is genuinely mean and truly vicious. His portrayal of such traits is entirely convincing, but then there are those who feel that these are Baldwin's real traits anyway. Whatever.

Bello does a fine job as the waitress, Natalie, and one truly believes in her character's attraction for Bernie, regardless of the major age difference between the two.

As a pleasant "plus," the wonderful Ellen Greene (the hilarious ditz, Audrey, in "The Little Shop of Horrors") has a small part as a perpetually-smoking bartender.

Another real plus is that the casino floor in the Shangri-la actually looks like a casino as opposed to the obvious set on Television's awful "Las Vegas" in which James Caan seems to be earning a little extra cash for throwing away his talent.

Well directed by Wayne Kramer, with excellent ensemble acting from virtually the entire cast, and with another standout performance from Macy, "The Cooler" is a minor gem, and well worth a rental.