The acting is on the money, the writing has substance, the direction knows when to evoke film noir and when (in a trick shot involving loaded dice) to get fancy.Read Full Review »
88
ROLLING STONE: Peter Travers
Wayne Kramer, who co-wrote the scrappy script with Frank Hannah, makes a potent directing debut and strikes gold with the cast.Read Full Review »
88
Philadelphia Inquirer: Steven Rea
The Cooler is small-scale moviemaking about small-scale lives. But it's big in all the right ways.Read Full Review »
80
Salon.com: Stephanie Zacharek
The heart of The Cooler is in the performances, and in the way Kramer shapes the interplay between the characters with the right amounts of ease and tension.Read Full Review »
80
Washington Post: Ann Hornaday
Still, it's difficult to hold his whoppers against him. In creating characters of such spirit and life, and in imagining such a vibrant, imaginative homage to the transformative powers of love, Kramer, more than most, has earned the right to push his luck.Read Full Review »
80
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Kevin Thomas
Director Wayne Kramer and co-writer Frank Hannah pull off a sleight-of-hand trick here, playing a gritty surface reality against dark Vegas mythology and getting away with it through a combination of shrewd, witty characterization and sure-footed storytelling skills.Read Full Review »
75
USA Today: Mike Clark
Grabber sub-plots further boost a story that is basically made by its three leads.Read Full Review »
75
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Lisa Schwarzbaum
A lot of fun early in the evening, when the Rat Pack ambiance is novel, but gets bleary by 4 a.m. in the story.Read Full Review »
75
ReelViews: James Berardinelli
The best part of the film, unsurprisingly, is William H. Macy's low-key portrayal of Bernie.Read Full Review »
75
Boston Globe: Ty Burr
Looks brilliant while you're watching it and stands revealed as counterfeit only in the strong light of day. What Baldwin does, though, is the stuff of supporting actor Oscars.Read Full Review »
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