I had reported in September about the disastrous reactions that Chris Pine’s “Poolman” screening had received at TIFF. Toronto audiences are fairly forgiving, and they’re known to champion mediocrity, if they have to. Not in this instance. There were plenty of walkouts at the premiere.
Here comes word that Vertical actually bought the U.S. rights to “Poolman.” The absurdist comic caper will be released in theaters sometime in 2024.
“Poolman is intricately penned, directed, and passionately brought to life by the multitalented Chris Pine,” said Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey. “He assembled an extraordinary ensemble of creatives, both in front of and behind the camera, and delivered a cinematic experience that is as unique and vibrant as the city it celebrates.”
“Poolman”, which stars Pine, has him playing a pool cleaner in Los Angeles who uncovers a water heist conspiracy. The cast Pine has assembled here is actually impressive — Annette Benning, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Danny DeVito and Ray Wise.
The film is said to be a riff of “Chinatown” and “Under the Silver Lake,” and has been compared to L.A. neo-noir reminiscent of Raymond Chandler’s works. That’s where the comparisons to actual quality end. Here are a few of the review blurbs that came out of TIFF, for your good pleasure:
IndieWire’s Siddhant Adlakha: “one of the worst movies to ever play at a major festival, putting Pine’s position as Hollywood’s best Chris in serious jeopardy.”
The Hollywood Reporter’s Michael Rechtshaffen: “[The movie] gets lost in the shrill goofiness of a concept, which, at best, feels like the sort of half-baked SNL character sketches that tend to get buried in the slot following the second musical performance.”
Last I checked, the film was at 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 25 on Metacritic. Apparently the idea for this movie started off as a joke between Pine and his co-writer Ian, while filming ”Wonder Woman 1984.” Now the film itself is a running joke, but probably not the one Pine intended.