This misfire of a movie never makes it above the surface.
This review was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn't exist.
Though Pine told The Hollywood Reporter in 2022 that he never really wanted to direct, the actor was thrown into the deep end of things after a conversation with director Patty Jenkins, whom he previously collaborated with on Wonder Woman 1984 and the TNT miniseries I Am the Night. With the two bouncing thoughts off each other, Pine admits the visions around Poolman made him laugh and that those very giggles eventually led him to the idea.
Poolman follows Darren Barrenman , an anxiety-ridden pool cleaner who lives in a trailer outside a motel-turned-apartment complex called the Tahitian Tiki, while frequently checking the pH levels. Led by monotonous routines like inspecting and cleaning the pool of his apartment block every morning, we soon learn this is his domain and a way to self-soothe.
For Poolman to be Pine’s directing debut is sad and, quite frankly, disappointing. Though he is good at developing a style through details and bringing out some solid talent, it doesn’t quite come together in terms of rhythm and pacing, creating a slow film that only picks up in pieces. But then, it never returns to that specific rhythm for a movie that could succeed in its finale.
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