Take three parts “Chinatown,” two parts “The Big Lebowski,” one part “Under The Silver Lake,” and an extra dash of zaniness, and what do you get? Something like “Poolman,” Chris Pine‘s directorial debut that makes its theatrical debut in May, fresh off its world premiere at TIFF last Fall.
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And how did “Poolman” fare with critics at Toronto? In a phrase: pretty terribly. But that shouldn’t dissuade those curious from checking it out. After all, how bad could an LA-set neo-noir about a pool cleaner be?
Pine stars in the film as a pool guy who gets wrapped up in a conspiracy that he thinks could help him save Los Angeles. To unravel the case, he’ll look to his pilates instructor girlfriend, his therapist, and her washed-up director boyfriend to piece everything together. Oh, and course, there’s a femme fatale, but is anything about this mystery as dangerous as it seems?
“Poolman” stars Pine, Annette Benning, Danny DeVito, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and DeWanda Wise. Ray Wise, Juliet Mills, Stephen Toblowsky, and Clancy Brown round out the main cast. Along with directing, Pine co-writes the script with Ian Gotler. Pine and Gotler also produce with Patty Jenkins and Stacey Sher.
As noted earlier, “Poolman” did not go over well with critics at TIFF, but Pine is standing by his film. “It was the idea that really wouldn’t let go of me and wouldn’t let me wiggle out of directing duties,” the actor-director told EW about the film. “I loved having ownership of this creation from top to bottom. The ability to fully express myself was deeply satisfying.”
“Poolman” hits theaters on May 10, courtesy of Vertical Entertainment. Watch the trailer for the film below.