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May 05, 2007

Something Old, Something New: Lucky You

Behind the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas exists the souls of many desparate, lonely people. Not exactly a revelation. But it's a theme that keeps giving material to moviemakers, inspiring such films as the new Lucky You and 2003's The Cooler.

The desperation and loneliness is a little more muted in Lucky You, so let's start there. Eric Bana plays Huck Cheever (apparently, that's his real name), a professional poker player who plays way too recklessly on the card table and way too close-to-the-vest in real life. He's chasing after the legacy of his poker-superstar dad (played by Robert Duvall, who's as good as ever), who's had Huck's number his whole life.

Even though Huck's life is pretty hollow, there's no sense of any crushing emptiness, but when he meets new-to-Vegas lounge singer Billie Offer (Drew Barrymore), there's at least an indication that there is a hole in his life waiting to be filled. Of course, he has to do it the hard way, swiping some money from her for some poker seed money. But he does pay it back.

When Huck enters the World Series of Poker tournament, he's gambling a ton of money and Billie's affection. Whatever exactly it is that she sees in him. And, of course, it remains to be seen if he's learned any lessons (poker or otherwise) from his dad.

The movie plays as a romantic comedy, but it's not all that funny. There are a few laughs (Horatio Sanz pops in to supply most of those), but what it has in abundance is poker. Lots of poker. If you're like me, and find watching poker to be about 1/1,000th as interesting as playing it, some of the scenes get pretty long. And Huck stares down his opponents, looking for their "tells", for so long that you're tempted to call casino security on their behalfs.

But if you want to be uncomfortable in a casino, try The Cooler. The loneliness and despair pulsates off these characters, particularly Bernie Lutz (William H. Macy), a man with such bad luck and such a huge gambling debt that a casino has hired him to walk around and let his negativity rub off on anyone enjoying a hot streak.

And everyone around him is alone too: Alec Baldwin plays Shelly, the guy who hired Bernie because it was slightly more palatable than breaking his legs. He's the last of the old-time Vegas bosses, who feels an impotent rage when a hotshot strategic planner (Ron Livingstone) comes in with ideas to make his joint more in line with the suburbanite-friendly, antiseptic casinos that Shelly thinks are ruining the Strip.

Finally, there's Natalie (Maria Bello), a gritty-yet-vulnerable cocktail waitress with a dark past and a dark present, as she's paid off by Shelly to date Bernie and give him a reason to stick around town. But the two broken souls connect, and when she tells Bernie she loves him, all of his karma-killing skill flies away.

Their love is tested from all sides, not least Shelly. He only knows one way to settle things - the old-school Vegas boss way - and it's jarring to see him use it on this tender and fragile couple. There are more than a couple very uncomfortable moments.

The casting in The Cooler is perfect; Macy, especially, plays the luckless schlub so perfectly that, on the rare occassions Bernie smiles, it's like the sun peeking out from behind clouds that have lingered for a week. And the scene where he gets revenge on his noisy neighbors is hysterical.i>The Cooler is perfect; Macy, especially, plays the luckless schlub so perfectly that, on the rare occassions Bernie smiles, it's like the sun peeking out from behind clouds that have lingered for a week.

Lucky You: 5 stars out of 10. The Cooler: 8 stars out of 10.

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Posted by: vin | May 6, 2007 06:59 AM