Chris Pine Is Actor, Director, Producer, Co-Writer In New Movie 'Poolman': It Was 'Deeply Satisfying'

Chris Pine is taking on multiple roles in his new comedy-mystery film, "Poolman."

Hitting cinemas on May 10, Pine stars in the film that he also co-wrote, produced and directed.

The neo-noir comedy tells the story of eccentric pool cleaner, Darren Barrenmen (played by Pine), as he helps a mysterious alluring woman named June Del Rey (played by DeWanda Wise) uncover details about underground corruption in Los Angeles. The not-so-smart poolboy turns into a not-so-sharp undercover detective.

"I love Los Angeles and I'm fighting to make it a better place," Barrenmen says in the trailer released on Thursday.

To crack the case, the poolman enlists the help of his friends Dianne (played by Annette Bening), Jack (played by Danny DeVito) and girlfriend Susan (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh).

"I love actors and there I was working with some of the best actors in our business," Pine told the Entertainment Weekly.

"It was a marvel to watch them discover and create right in front of my eyes."

"Poolman" is Pine's directorial debut which the actor says he enjoyed doing very much. He describes the freedom to work on the film as he likes as "deeply satisfying."

"I loved having ownership of this creation from top to bottom. The ability to fully express myself was deeply satisfying," he told EW.

"Poolman," which premiered in the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, is a spin on Jack Nicholson's "Chinatown." As for the critics, they didn't seem to enjoy the movie that much, with just a 23% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes.

"It's only 100 minutes long, but upward of 99 of those minutes are likely to be spent in silent boredom," IndieWire movie critic Siddhant Adlakha wrote of the film.