Chris Pine stands by his film ‘Poolman’ even though it got bad reviews at the Toronto Film Festival last year.
Pine received heavy criticism for ‘Poolman,’ especially when the movie debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023. The actor recently talked with ‘Happy Sad Confused’ podcast and said he doesn’t see the film as a failure:
“I watched my film. After the reviews in Toronto, I was like maybe I did make a pile of sh*t. I went back and watched it. I f*cking love this film. I love this film so much.”
He said he also talked to his therapist after the negative reviews.
Critics Slammed ‘Poolman’
‘Poolman’ didn’t get the praise Pine hoped for. Some critics were quite tough. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman called the movie an ‘absurdist disaster’ and said Pine’s character was a ‘dud of a Dude’ in a poorly directed film.
Pine explained how different it is to be in charge of a movie as a director and writer. He compared this feeling to being a stand-up comedian who is alone on stage:
“Criticism as an actor is just a part of the game, but there’s a lot of stuff to hide behind. There’s the director and the writer and the release pattern, etc. As an actor, you come on set, do your dance, and go off. By the time the film comes out, you’ve done X amount of other projects. The closest thing I would imagine this is like — co-writing, directing, and starring in — is a stand-up comedian on stage feeling utterly naked. It’s been a real come-to-Jesus moment to see how resilient I am.”
‘Poolman’ tells the story of an optimistic guy from Los Angeles who cleans pools for a living. His life takes a wild turn when he accidentally discovers a water theft scheme. Alongside Pine, the movie stars Annette Bening and Danny DeVito.
‘Poolman’ opens in theaters across the country on May 10. You can watch the full interview below.
