Earlier this year, Chris Pine took a big hit in Hollywood Chris' never-ending (and probably mostly imaginary) battle. As the only major Chris unencumbered by weird overtones or mid-career malaise, and unencumbered by his long history with Marvel, Pine has cultivated the epitome of the non-toxic cool guy. In recent years, he has happily played second fiddle to Wonder Woman. Dungeons & Dragons I made a movie and made some unashamedly adult pictures like this: Don't worry darling and all old knives. But when given the chance to convey a broader vision of the world, or at least Hollywood, Pine took offense. pool manThe film, which he directed, co-wrote, produced and starred in, received harsh reviews when it debuted at the Toronto Film Festival last fall. Still, the film opened in theaters this spring, grossed $131,000 on its opening weekend, and then completely stalled. Now it's arrived on Hulu, presumably in the middle of a longer “What the hell is this?” run on Tubi or Pluto.
why watch pool man tonight?
pool man This is a shaggy, sun-kissed Los Angeles noir that's half character study, half genre parody, very much in the tradition of its Private Investigator variations. long goodbye, big lebowskiand under silver lake. chinatown Of course, there is weight in the mix as well, but that shouldn't be the case. – but Darren Ballenman in Pine is more of an old hippie with a Lebowski-esque beard than a vintage Jack Nicholson. At the same time, Darren nominally has a clearer head than The Dude. Rather than bowling, he spends much more time bothering the Los Angeles City Council, announcing various civic improvement projects at public meetings. He's also making a documentary with the help of Jack (Danny DeVito) and Diane (Annette Bening), a couple who own a small apartment complex, where he has to manage a comically small pool. I am doing it.
When Darren receives mysterious information from a femme fatale type (DeWanda Wise) that his city councilman nemesis (Stephen Tobolowsky) may be involved in a corrupt real estate and water scheme (oh yeah) chinatown), he, with encouragement, decided to take a step forward and investigate the man further. Jack and Diane help him out as usual, but there are many scenes of derailed, chatty dialogue that emphasize the trio's general unsuitability as private investigators.
As a mystery, pool man “'' is admittedly a bit of a dud, but it's probably intentional, and it's understandable that it will irritate noir fans. Comedy fans may even find it patient to spend so much time with characters who spend so much time running around in circles. But as a riff on the overall personality of LA Noire thingPine captures something pool manbegins with his own foolish sincerity. Darren is at his own pace, writing frequently to Erin Brockovich, his source of inspiration and perhaps obsession, but he's still not completely goofy. The key to his character, or perhaps the key to why I loved his character, comes when he looks up the names with complete rapt sincerity. Who framed Roger Rabbit? He bemoans the city's public transportation problems and advocates a return to the streetcar system. This movie is both appropriate and ridiculous because of its place in the movie lineage. chinatown They raised their offspring while acknowledging their unique cartoonishness and Darren's strangely optimistic way of life. It's like a noir where Roger and the other toons are left to their own devices to solve the mystery rather than relying on Eddie Valiant.
This kind of clumsiness can easily result in an intolerable Lebowski cosplay. But despite some Toontown-friendly antics involving Pine, DeVito, and Bening, and some dream sequence moments that feel more padded than comparable moments in Coen films, Pine 's lens remains distorted enough for that world to be recognizable. Like many filmmakers, his debut film is filled with love for the works that influenced him. pool man The project is far less self-centered than many of the performance-heavy projects actors-turned-directors often tend to favor. Instead, Pine focuses on the spirit of his city, finding plenty of things about Los Angeles that are only vaguely related to the films the city produces. Darren himself is not a movie buff. He doesn't see himself as the star of his own cracked-mirror noir, which is exactly who he is, but instead focuses on the greater good, no matter how confused he is about it. I chose to give it.
pool man It's obviously a small curiosity and requires some patience to go with the flow. But the film is entertainingly executed, vividly shot in 35mm to capture the sunny yellows and blues of the pool trim (the cinematographer wonder woman(Matthew Jensen), it's far from the worst extravagance of a typical festival season. (Frankly, much worse Toronto films have won big awards.) As Pine continues his ramblings, he makes a convincing case that love for Los Angeles isn't contingent on being loved by movie audiences. makes a certain claim. Movie star or not, I feel like Pine spent his entire life in LA.
Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) I'm a writer living in Brooklyn. He is a regular contributor to The AV Club, Polygon, The Week, and more. he has a podcast www.sportsalcohol.comtoo.
