Poolman—an indie movie flop directed by and starring Chris Pine that was spurned by critics—is coming soon to Hulu.
Poolman debuted in limited release in theaters on May 10 before pivoting to PVOD on May 31. The official summary for the film reads, “Poolman tells the story of Darren Barrenman (Chris Pine), a native Los Angeleno who spends his days looking after the pool of the Tahitian Tiki apartment block and fighting to make his hometown a better place to live.
“When he is tasked by a femme fatale to uncover the truth behind a shady business deal, Darren enlists the help of his friends to take on a corrupt politician and a greedy land developer. His investigation reveals a hidden truth about his beloved city and himself.”
According to Hulu, Poolman will debut on the streamer on Friday, November 8. You must be a Hulu subscriber to watch the film on the streaming platform. Hulu is available with ads for $9.99 per month or $18.99 per month with no ads.
Rated R, Poolman also stars Annette Bening, DeWanda Wise, Clancy Brown, Danny DeVito and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
How Was ‘Poolman’ Received By Audiences And Critics?
Per The Numbers, Poolman made $131,000 during its limited theatrical run. While information on Poolman’s production budget is scarce, The Movie Database reports the film cost $10 million to make before prints and advertising costs.
Rotten Tomatoes critics splattered Poolman with negative reviews and collectively gave the film a 21% “rotten” rating based on 56 reviews.
The RT Critics Consensus reads, “First-time director Chris Pine has clearly watched and loved numerous classic L.A.-based neo-noir comedies; unfortunately, Poolman suggests he’d have been better off not trying to add his own entry to the genre.”
RT users were also rough on Poolman, giving the film a 20% “rotten” Audience Score based on fewer than 50 verified ratings.
Despite the negative reception to Poolman, Chris Pine told Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast (via Variety) that the bad vibes didn’t take away from the good time he had making the film.
“When the film came out at Toronto and just got f—king panned … I tried to make a joyful film,” the Star Trek star told Horowitz. “With so much joy behind it, to then be met with a fusillade of not-so-joyous stuff … the cognitive dissonance there was quite something.”
Rated R, Poolman debuts on Hulu on November 8.
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