Parents' Guide to

Poolman

By Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Violence, cursing in Chris Pine's noisy L.A. comedy/mystery.

Movie R 2024 100 minutes
Poolman Movie Poster: In a cream-colored suit, Darren Barrenman sits cross-legged, with other characters behind him

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Poolman Movie: Shirtless Darren wears sunglasses and CD Walkman headphones while holding his pool-scooper
  • Poolman Movie: Diane, Darren (in a floppy fishing hat), and Jack stare at something as if in shock
  • Poolman Movie: Darren meditates in the bottom of an empty pool, wearing a cream-colored suit and headphones

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What's the Story?

In POOLMAN, Darren Barrenman (Chris Pine) lives at the Tahitian Tiki apartment complex in Los Angeles, where he maintains the pool. He's happily dating Susan (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and writes letters to Erin Brockovich every day. And he's best friends with his therapist, Diane (Annette Bening), and out-of-work filmmaker Jack (Danny DeVito). Darren attends daily city council meetings, fighting to make improvements to the city. After accidentally assaulting a bailiff and spending the night in jail, he's bailed out by June Del Rey (DeWanda Wise), executive assistant for Councilman Toronkowski (Stephen Tobolowsky). June asks for Darren's help in uncovering a corrupt scheme involving Toronkowski and a developer named Teddy Hollandaise (Clancy Brown). After watching Chinatown again for inspiration, Darren is on the case. But even he can't begin to guess just how far the corruption goes—and what kind of danger he's really in.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This comedy (which is Pine's directorial debut) tries to be a love letter to L.A., and in that regard, it manages a few sweet, weird moments, but mostly it's noisy, jumpy, and ill-paced. Poolman fares best when Pine—who's in virtually every scene—shares moments with actors who feel opposite to his temperament, such as Tobolowsky in a dressing room or Brown in a severe, shadowy office. Pine tends to follow their lead, and these scenes find a good rhythm.

But mostly the movie consists of actors shouting over each other, everyone making a lot of noise, and no one listening. Any sense of comic timing goes out the window in an absolute bombardment of dialogue and big, broad acting. The movie pays homage to classic L.A. movies like Sunset Boulevard, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and especially Chinatown (the characters watch it on television at one point), and it's hard not to notice that Pine's character resembles "The Dude" in The Big Lebowski. But calling attention to these superior movies probably isn't the wisest idea. In fact, the movie Poolman most brings to mind is another feature directing debut by another actor who played Captain Kirk: the hubris-wrecked Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Let's hope the terrific cast of players had a good time making this, because otherwise, Poolman is stuck in the shallow end.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Poolman's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

  • How is sex portrayed? Is there trust? Consent? Do characters "cheat"? What are their motivations?

  • Why does Darren write letters every day to Erin Brockovich? Have you ever written letters as a form of journaling? How did it feel to get things out on paper?

  • How is the movie a "love letter to Los Angeles"? What does it have to say about that city? Is it critical? If so, how?

  • Do you consider Darren a role model? Does he demonstrate courage? Empathy? If so, how?

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