Don't believe the previews, this is no comedy

The Cooler is a fascinating movie about Las Vegas that's really more about life and having a positive mental attitude than anything else. Unfortunately, it hits home with that message way too hard in a story that's a lot darker than it appears from the previews. It overcomes this through knock out performances from William H. Macy and Maria Bello, and an Oscar-worthy turn from Alec Baldwin.

Macy is Bernie Lootz, a lifetime loser and compulsive gambler who is employed by his boyhood friend Shelly Kaplow (Baldwin) as a cooler, or someone who can turn other's lucky runs into flops just by walking by. Bello plays Natalie Belisaro, a waitress at the casino who falls for Lootz. Of course, being in love for the first time in his life make Lootz an ineffective cooler, which infuriates Kaplow.

I don't know if coolers really exist, but it's a fascinating concept. Imagine someone being so negative that they affect others around them. I know a few people like that, I'm sure you do also.

But the funny thing about Lootz is that while he believes that only bad things will happen to him, he lives his life with integrity and honesty and stays foolishly loyal to people like Kaplow, who employs Lootz as a cooler so Lootz can repay his debts to him even after Kaplow exacted some payment by kneecapping him.

Natalie teaches Bernie to believe in himself, which in turn leads to a change in the way he looks at the world, and the way that she does also. It's very uplifting in concept, but the movie is so dark, it's hard to see through that.

How dark? Almost all scenes are shot indoors and the outdoor scenes are all shot at night. There's a lot of violence, too much sex, and too much nudity. This is the first time that Macy has played a romantic lead in a movie, and he goes pretty far in this one, with a full frontal nude scene.

Macy is always excellent, and he plays Lootz as a loveable loser who believes that he is cursed. Once he meets the love of his life, his character doesn't change, but his outlook does. There are no miracles in this movie, only awakenings.

Bello is also excellent, providing an inspiration to Lootz while not being a typically inspiring character. She truly falls in love with him and is surprised by this. She's funny, charming and pathetic all in one.

Meanwhile, Baldwin delivers the best acting of his career in this movie. He plays a very complex character capable of unspeakably bad things, but also with a soft heart at times. He's very old school Las Vegas and bristles when his boss brings in a Harvard guy (the always excellent Ron Livingston) to make the casino more like the rest of the town. A political and physical battle ensues between them, with Baldwin delivering some marvelous speeches in support of the old Vegas.

Go see the Cooler. You'll learn about casinos, Vegas, and get inspired at the same time.