Chris Pine’s “Poolman” was heavily criticized upon its premiere at the 2023 TIFF. It was possibly the worst-rated film from the film festival by critics and audiences alike. After this negative reception, Chris spoke about how this impacted him. It is clear that he made “Poolman” with love and passion. While watching it, you can sense his interest in the Hollywood classics that he may have loved growing up. Regardless, it is an absolute misfire. Tarantino once said something along the lines of ‘passion and love for cinema is enough to make a good film.’ Well, “Poolman” disapproves of that very notion!
Spoilers Ahead
Poolman (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
“Poolman,” written by Chris Pine and Ian Gotler, is a comedy mystery film about an optimistic slacker who wants to make his city a better place. During this journey, he stumbles upon possible evidence of misdeeds. So, he starts investigating the matter as a detective with a group of his friends and family. While doing so, he keeps bringing up his obsession with the 1974 noir mystery film “Chinatown.”
What is Chris Pine’s ‘Poolman’ about?
“Poolman” follows Darren Barrenman (Chris Pine), who works as a pool cleaner in Los Angeles. He lives in an RV near an old apartment complex called The Tahitian Tiki. Even one look inside his messy RV can tell you that Darren is a film buff. On top of that, he is an advocate of city improvement, inspired by “Erin Brockovich,” played by Julia Roberts. He writes letters addressed to Erin to talk about his concerns and frustrations. Darren’s girlfriend, Susan Kerkovish (Jennifer Jason Leigh), grieves over the death of a restaurant employee named Samir. Darren isn’t much concerned about it.
Darren’s parent figures, Diane Espilnade (Annette Bening) and Jack Denisoff (Danny DeVito), always stand behind him as motivational figures. They also support Darren whenever he goes to propose potential city improvements to the local council. However, councilor Stephen Toronkowski (Stephen Tobolowsky) considers Darren’s suggestions immature and dismisses them. Amidst all of this, Darren has some bizarre dreams where he sees himself standing against a tree or a lizard. He writes a letter to Erin, sharing his concerns. While going about his usual day, he receives a surprise visit.
The Femme Fatale
Councilman Toronkowski’s new executive assistant, June Del Rey (DeWanda Wise), comes to meet Darren. She reveals that she bailed him out of jail after he created a fuss in the courtroom. June says she’ll help with Bailiff Reggie’s charges against Darren if Darren helps her take down Stephen. She wants Darren’s detective skills to reveal some issues with Stephen’s real estate and water plot. Before leaving, she mentions a call Stephen had with property developer Theodore ‘Teddy’ Hollandaise (Clancy Brown) about the project. Darren had always been passionately against Teddy. That’s why he agrees to be a part of June’s investigation.
The Investigation
June plants a seed of doubt about Teddy paying Stephen at the Mule. So, Darren discusses the case with Diane, who agrees to join his investigation with Jack to photograph Stephen’s misdeeds. Darren watches the 1974 film, “Chinatown,” which motivates him to consider himself a vigilante. Later, he shows up at June’s doorstep to discuss the case and his paranoia. She pushes him to tap into his hidden potential to carry out the mission. Once she leaves, he follows her to see her meet a mysterious figure in a mansion. Later, on Saturday, he follows Stephen along with Jack.
With Diane, Susan, and Wayne (John Ortiz), Darren surveils Stephen’s conversation at a racecourse and covertly takes photos. Later, Darren gets his heart broken after realizing that Susan & Wayne have feelings for each other. June meets Darren and claims that she met her ailing mother in her uncle’s mansion on the night Darren tailed her. Before leaving, June kisses Darren. In the photos he clicked, Darren notices two men related to The Big Dutch Group. So, he goes to meet William Van Patterson (Ray Wise) and finds Teddy. Before leaving, William shares a cryptic note: ‘Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.’
Poolman (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
After William leaves, Teddy leads Darren to learn about Stephen’s secret in the Moody Mule. He plants a seed about Stephen, representing something shady. Once in Moody Mule, Darren learns that Stephen’s secret is just his drag persona in theatrical plays. Regardless, Darren confronts Stephen about corrupt deals. Instead, they have a stimulating conversation about their mental health and their fear of loneliness. Then, Stephen quotes the famous “Chinatown” dialogue about the desert under their city. Moments later, someone shoots Stephen and throws the gun in Darren’s hands to make him the patsy to this murder.
Darren returns home to speak with his parents about Stephen’s murder. He considers a water-related conspiracy that involves William Van Patterson. So, he meets June and confronts her. He thinks she planned it all with William. She claims that William is not her lover but her father to make Darren feel sorry for her. Later, Darren drives up to William’s house and sees him trying to smother his wife. That’s when he learns another surprise: June is indeed William’s lover. She only tricked Darren into believing she wasn’t. William wanted to get his wife out of the equation to be with June. That’s why he tries to kill her.
What does the ‘Poolman’ ending mean?
At the end of “Poolman,” we see Darren at William’s house, confronting William about a supposed water scam and asking June to be with him. Darren makes a plea for his love for June. But she rejects him. Then, William tries to shoot Darren. Within moments, Diane and Jack arrive there with a team of FBI officials led by Wayne, aka Dirk Pfumpter. Dirk claims that he was using the Wayne persona but still loves Susan. So, Darren realizes that he is all alone after all. In the end, the council offers Darren a special position. But he rejects it to return to his usual job.
It is hard to decipher or pinpoint what Chris Pine expected to convey through his film’s ending. At times, it hints at the end of the protagonist’s fantasy, where he imagines events to be repetitions of classic Hollywood films like “Chinatown” or “Eric Brockovich.” But on the other, it feels like that he is reluctant to accept his reality. However, Chris Pine creates such a convoluted mess with all his ideas that you leave the film scratching your head. The film doesn’t feel honest as a farce since it eventually amounts to nothing significant.
Poolman (2024) Movie Review:
Passion projects are often tricky to look at. On one hand, as a viewer, you want to see it as a culmination of an artist’s years of obsession. But on the other hand, you have to judge it as a cinematic work like any other. “Poolman” shows Chris Pine’s passion for creating a stoner film of his own that embodies the spirit of Los Angeles. At times, it feels like a homage to “Chinatown” with a couple of evidently similar scenarios. It also feels like an attempt to create a version of “Barton Fink” but more stoner-ish & nostalgia-laden instead of psychologically rich & profound.
Poolman’s slacker protagonist reminds you of “The Big Lebowski,” whereas its plot points remind you of classic Hollywood noir – be it conspiracies or femme fatale. Overall, there is nothing novel about this project to hold in any higher regard than AI-generated content. The script introduces its quirkiness through some absurd dialogues or behavioral traits. Unfortunately, they are introduced in dialogues that lead to nothing consequential and rarely say anything deeper about the characters, their psyche, or their otherwise socio-political stance. Even if we consider its one-dimensionality a part of its satirical set-up, it doesn’t do justice to that premise either. So, you just end up watching one and a half hours of something that needed multiple rewrites.
