'Poolman' Review Roundup: Chris Pine's movie has a 'shallow plot' that confuses critics
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Poolman' releases in theatres on May 10, 2024. It is the debut of actor Chris Pine as a writer-director. The movie is about Darren Barrenman (Chris Pine) who works as a pool cleaner but also works as an activist who wants to make his town better.
The film is a spoof loosely based on the cult classic 'Chinatown' as Darren uncovers a water scandal similar to the one in 'Chinatown'. The movie had its premiere at Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2023. The movie stars Chris Pine, Annette Bening, DeWanda Wise, Stephen Tobolowsky, Clancy Brown, John Ortiz, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Danny DeVito in important roles
At the time of publication, 'Poolman' received a disastrous reception with a 23% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 26 reviews giving it a "rotten" rating on the site. Before you make up your mind about going to the movie, here is a round-up of reviews received by the movie and the reaction it has received from critics.
Chris Pine's comedy film receives poor reviews from critics
'Poolman' has been described as a "Daffy Absurdist Disaster of an L.A. Noir" by Variety critic Owen Gleiberman.
He further goes on to criticize the film by saying, "'Poolman', a movie that Pine co-wrote, directed, and stars in, is not only the worst film I saw during the fall festival season but would likely be one of the worst films in any year it came out. Okay, maybe I’m taking a bit of vicious pleasure in saying that, since I had to sit through the goddamn thing. At the Toronto Film Festival showing I attended, there were a lot of walkouts."
Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter was equally critical of the movie describing it as a "Shrill Misfire". He further said, "While Pine is undeniably a charismatic actor, that likability can only generate so much audience good will in a production overstuffed with cartoonish caricatures lacking any sort of deeper connective tissue."
Fionnuala Halligan of Screen Daily criticized the film for being too verbose by saying "Pine's characters talk incessantly."
Emma Keates of The AV Club is critical of Chris Pine's understanding of the audience by saying "a film that so deeply misunderstands what normal people like about the movies that it could have only come from someone who’s never done anything else."
Is 'Poolman' worth watching?
Well, with people walking out of its premiere and critics panning every aspect of its filmmaking and performances, it would be a sound decision to skip this one and watch something else instead.
Having said that, there are many movies in the history of cinema that have been criticized heavily by film buffs but have found acceptance with the audiences, so it could be possible that Chris Pine knows something about the audience at large that the critics don't.
'Poolman' trailer