Poolman (film)

Last updated

Poolman
Poolman 2024 poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Chris Pine
Written by
  • Chris Pine
  • Ian Gotler
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Matthew Jensen
Edited by Stacey Schroeder
Music by Andrew Bird
Production
companies
Distributed by Vertical
Release dates
  • September 11, 2023 (2023-09-11)(TIFF)
  • May 10, 2024 (2024-05-10)(United States)
Running time
100 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$153,325 [2] [3]

Poolman is a 2023 American comedy mystery film directed, produced, co-written by and starring Chris Pine in his directorial debut. It also stars Annette Bening, DeWanda Wise, Stephen Tobolowsky, Clancy Brown, John Ortiz, Ray Wise, Juliet Mills, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Danny DeVito.

Contents

The film premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. It was released in the United States on May 10, 2024.

Plot

Darren Barrenman is a pool cleaner in Los Angeles, living in an old apartment complex (The Tahitian Tiki) owned by parental figures Jack and Diane. He is an advocate, inspired by Erin Brockovich, constantly pitching his local council on potential improvements, to the disdain of councillor Stephen Toronkowski. [4]

Femme fatale June Del Rey reveals a real-estate and water plot by Toronkowski that requires Barrenman's detective skills.

Barrenman draws on his eclectic group of friends and fellow residents to track Toronkowski and photograph his misdeeds. [5]

Cast

Production

It was announced in February 2022 that Chris Pine was set to make his directorial debut on the film, which he co-wrote the screenplay for with Ian Gotler. Pine will also star in the film alongside Annette Bening and Danny DeVito. [6] [7] Pine came up with the idea for the film during a conversation with director Patty Jenkins, who will serve as a producer. [8] In May, Ariana DeBose and Jennifer Jason Leigh were added to the cast, with Matthew Jensen set as cinematographer. [9] In July, DeWanda Wise joined the cast replacing DeBose who left the project due to a scheduling conflicts. [10]

Filming began in June 2022 in Los Angeles. [11] The film moved to post-production by November 2022, with the distribution rights being sold by AGC International to Paramount Pictures, StudioCanal, Lionsgate Films and other companies for multiple countries outside the United States. [12] The rights for the UK and Ireland were sold to Signature Entertainment. [7]

Release

Poolman's world premiere took place at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2023. [13] [14] In December 2023, Vertical acquired distribution rights to the film. [15]

The film was released in the United States on May 10, 2024. [16]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 21% of 47 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.0/10. [17] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 29 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. [18]

Michael Rechtshaffen, writing for The Hollywood Reporter , called the film a "shrill misfire" and predicted that it would "likely have a tough time finding a home". [19] Siddhant Adlakha from IndieWire opined that the film was "disastrous" and "[i]t'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". [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny DeVito</span> American actor (born 1944)

Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series Taxi (1978–1983), which won him a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. He plays Frank Reynolds on the FXX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Pine</span> American actor (born 1980)

Christopher Whitelaw Pine is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as James T. Kirk in the Star Trek reboot film series (2009–2016) and Steve Trevor in the DC Extended Universe films Wonder Woman (2017) and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020).

Original Film is an American film and television production company founded by Neal H. Moritz. Notable films the company has produced include the Fast & Furious franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aubrey Plaza</span> American actress, producer, and comedian (born 1984)

Aubrey Christina Plaza is an American actress, producer, and comedian. She began acting in local theater productions as a teenager and performed improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. After graduating New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Plaza made her feature film debut in Mystery Team (2009) and gained wide recognition for her role as April Ludgate on the NBC political satire mockumentary sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015).

<i>The Lorax</i> (film) 2012 Illumination film

The Lorax, also known as Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, is a 2012 American animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film is the second screen adaptation of Dr. Seuss' 1971 children's book of the same name following the 1972 animated television special. Directed by Chris Renaud, co-directed by Kyle Balda, produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy and written by the writing team of Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, it stars the voices of Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle, Jenny Slate and Betty White.

Vertical is a global independent film distributor founded by producers Rich Goldberg and Mitch Budin in 2012. Vertical releases films across all mediums, including theatrical, On Demand, physical media and streaming. The company's combination of full-service marketing and sales services provides collaborative solutions for filmmakers.

<i>The Comedian</i> (2016 film) 2016 American film

The Comedian is a 2016 American comedy-drama film directed by Taylor Hackford and written by Lewis Friedman, Richard LaGravenese, Art Linson, and Jeff Ross. The film stars Robert De Niro, Leslie Mann, Danny DeVito, Edie Falco, Veronica Ferres, Charles Grodin, Cloris Leachman, Patti LuPone, Greer Barnes and Harvey Keitel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariana DeBose</span> American actress (born 1991)

Ariana DeBose is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for a Tony Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2022, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

<i>Jumanji: The Next Level</i> 2019 film by Jake Kasdan

Jumanji: The Next Level is a 2019 American adventure comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan, who co-wrote the script with Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. The film is the fourth installment in the Jumanji film series and the sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017). Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser'Darius Blain, and Madison Iseman reprise their roles from the previous film while Awkwafina, Danny Glover, and Danny DeVito join the cast. The film's plot takes place two years after Welcome to the Jungle, in which the same group of teenagers, along with an old friend and two unwitting additions, become trapped in Jumanji once again. There, they all find themselves facing new problems and challenges with both old and new avatars, while having to save the land from a new villain to escape.

<i>The Survivor</i> (2021 film) 2021 Canada-US biographical drama film

The Survivor is a 2021 biographical drama film, directed by Barry Levinson, from a screenplay by Justine Juel Gillmer. Ben Foster stars as Harry Haft, a real-life survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he boxed fellow inmates to survive. Vicky Krieps, Billy Magnussen, Peter Sarsgaard, John Leguizamo, and Danny DeVito co-star. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2021, and was released on HBO on April 27, 2022. The film received positive reviews from critics, particularly for Foster's lead performance. The film was Emmy nominated for Outstanding Television Movie.

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson is an American director, producer, and writer. She is best known for creating the MTV show Sweet/Vicious, the Netflix film Someone Great (2019), and co-writing Marvel Studios's Thor: Love and Thunder alongside Taika Waititi. Robinson's film Do Revenge (2022) starring Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke, is described as "a subverted dark comedy".

Star Trek 4 is the working title of an American science fiction film in development at Paramount Pictures based on the television series Star Trek by Gene Roddenberry. It is intended to be the 15th feature film in the Star Trek film franchise and the 5th of the franchise's reboot films. There have been several different iterations of the film in development since 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AGC Studios</span> American film and television production company

AGC Studios is an American film and television production studio. It was founded and launched by Chairman and CEO Stuart Ford in February 2018 as a platform to develop, produce, finance and globally license a diverse portfolio of feature films, scripted, unscripted and factual television, digital and musical content from its dual headquarters in Los Angeles and London. The new studio's Hollywood output has a wide-ranging multicultural focus, designed for exploitation across an array of global platforms including major studio partnerships, streaming platforms, traditional broadcast and cable television networks and independent distributors, both in the U.S. and internationally.

<i>Agatha All Along</i> (miniseries) Upcoming Marvel Studios television miniseries

Agatha All Along is an upcoming American television miniseries created by Jac Schaeffer for the streaming service Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics character Agatha Harkness. A spin-off from the series WandaVision (2021), it is planned as one of the television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios, via its Marvel Television label, alongside 20th Television, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. Schaeffer serves as head writer and lead director.

Three Women is an American television series based on the 2019 book of the same name by Lisa Taddeo that was initially set to premiere on Showtime. On January 30, 2023, Deadline reported that Showtime had decided not to air the completed series. Starz picked up the series a week later. All 10 episodes of season one premiered on February 16, 2024, in Australia on Stan. After 15 months without news, Starz announced that the show is set to premiere September 13, 2024 with a weekly release.

Alto Knights is an upcoming American biographical crime drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Nicholas Pileggi. The film stars Robert De Niro in a dual role as 1950s mob bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello.

<i>Wish</i> (film) 2023 animated film

Wish is a 2023 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn from a screenplay written by Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore, based on a story conceived by Lee, Buck, Veerasunthorn, and Moore, and produced by Peter Del Vecho and Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster-Jones, with Lee and Don Hall serving as executive producers. The art style combines computer animation with the look of traditional animation. The film stars the voices of Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, Harvey Guillén, Evan Peters, Ramy Youssef, and Jon Rudnitsky. The story follows a 17-year-old girl named Asha (DeBose), who makes a passionate plea to the stars in a moment of need. She meets a living, magic fallen star, and together they face the kingdom of Rosas' devious ruler, the sorcerer Magnifico (Pine).

Woman of the Hour is a 2023 American period crime drama film directed by Anna Kendrick in her directorial debut and written by Ian MacAllister McDonald. It is based on the life of serial killer Rodney Alcala, who in 1978 appeared on the television show The Dating Game in the midst of his murder spree. The film revolves around the events of the game show and stars Kendrick as contestant Cheryl Bradshaw.

References

  1. ↑ "Poolman (15)". BBFC . March 10, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Poolman". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved May 17, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  3. ↑ "Poolman". The Numbers . Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Poolman Review". May 10, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Poolman movie review & film summary (2024) | Roger Ebert".
  6. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (February 8, 2022). "AGC Launches Chris Pine's Directorial Debut Poolman With Patty Jenkins & Stacey Sher Producing; Pine Leads Cast With Annette Bening & Danny DeVito – EFM Hot Pic". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Wiseman, Andreas (October 26, 2022). "Chris Pine's Directorial Debut 'Poolman' Gets UK Deal". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  8. ↑ Odman, Sydney (March 30, 2022). "Chris Pine on How Directorial Debut Poolman Came Together". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  9. ↑ Lodderhose, Diana (May 16, 2022). "Ariana DeBose & Jennifer Jason Leigh Join Chris Pine's Directorial Debut Poolman". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  10. ↑ Kroll, Justin (July 7, 2022). "Jurassic World: Dominions DeWanda Wise Joins Chris Pine's Directorial Debut Poolman". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  11. ↑ Travis, Emlyn (July 1, 2022). "Prepare to Gasp Over Unrecognizable Chris Pine's New Look". E! . Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  12. ↑ Kay, Jeremy (November 1, 2022). "AGC International reports major pre-sales on Chris Pine directing debut 'Poolman' (exclusive)". Screen Daily . Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Poolman". Toronto International Film Festival . Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  14. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 24, 2023). "TIFF Lineup Unveiled Amid Strikes: Awards Contenders Dumb Money, The Holdovers, Rustin; Starry Pics For Sale With Scarlett Johansson, Kate Winslet, Michael Keaton, Viggo Mortensen & More". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  15. ↑ Grobar, Matt (December 20, 2023). "Chris Pine Comedy 'Poolman' Lands At Vertical". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  16. ↑ Wang, Jessica (March 14, 2024). "Chris Pine is a Poolman turned detective in zany trailer for his directorial debut". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Poolman". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved May 15, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  18. ↑ "Poolman". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  19. ↑ Rechtshaffen, Michael (September 12, 2023). "'Poolman' Review: Chris Pine's Noir-Drenched L.A. Comedy Is a Shrill Misfire". The Hollywood Reporter .
  20. ↑ Adlakha, Siddhant (September 13, 2023). "'Poolman' Review: Chris Pine's Disastrous Directorial Debut".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.