Chris Pine Dives into Mystery and Politics in ‘Poolman’ Trailer

Chris Pine, the actor, is making his directorial debut in a 2023 American comedy-mystery film, Poolman. The film premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, and now the trailer for Poolman has just dropped ahead of its release. The film is directed, produced, and co-written by Chris Pine and stars him alongside Annette Bening, Danny DeVito, Jennifer Jason Leigh, DeWanda Wise, Ray Wise, Juliet Mills, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Clancy Brown in supporting roles. 

The recently released trailer gives a glimpse of what fans can expect from the upcoming film. The trailer sees Darren Barrenman (portrayed by Pine), a devoted Angeleno who dedicates his days to maintaining the pool at the Tahitian Tiki residential complex and striving to improve his city. His routine life takes a turn when a mysterious woman entrusts him with the task of digging into a dubious business transaction. To confront a conniving politician and a dodgy property developer, Darren rallies his friends for support. His journey not only uncovers hidden aspects of the city he adores but also leads to personal revelations that will shake Darren to his core.

Is Chris Pine’s upcoming directorial film a promising one?

Chris Pine is a versatile actor who has appeared in numerous films, including Star Trek, Wonder Woman, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and more. Now, the actor has taken on the role of a filmmaker with his upcoming directorial feature, Poolman. Apart from starring and helming the film, Pine has also co-written the screenplay for the film with Ian Gotler. However, severing various roles while making his directorial debut has probably burdened Pine. Hence, the film couldn’t please the critics after its premiere. 

The film’s world premiere took place at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2023. Following its reception, the film garnered a negative reaction from the critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a disappointing rating of 23%, with an average score of 3.1/10. The Hollywood Reporter’s Michael Rechtshaffen called the film a “shrill misfire” and predicted that it would “likely have a tough time finding a home.”

Meanwhile, Siddhant Adlakha from IndieWire opined that the film was “disastrous” and “it’s only 100 minutes long, but upward of 99 of those minutes are likely to be spent in silent boredom, if not irritated disbelief at being subjected to such guileless, artless nonsense”.

Though the film’s critical response wasn’t very impressive, since it’s yet to be released, it would be exciting to see if Pine’s stardom can convince moviegoers to watch his film. 

Poolman is scheduled to be released on May 10, 2024.

Watch the trailer for Poolman Here