Back in September of 2023, Poolman made headlines when it premiered at TIFF. Unfortunately, those headlines included audience walkouts, as well as nearly universal panning from both critics and the general public. Is Chris Pine’s directorial debut so bad that it warrants leaving the theatre mid movie? I personally don’t think so, even if it is a great big mess. Pine attempts to blend a noir detective story with a vibey stoner hangout flick. It’s been done before - just look at The Big Lebowski, which was clearly a big inspiration here. Unfortunately, he doesn’t strike a balance and the whole flow of the movie gets thrown off. The plot is insanely convoluted as it plucks ideas and plot points from about a dozen better movies. The more casual moments are more successful, but give the movie an aimlessness that further dilutes the story it’s trying to tell. So much of the runtime is taken up by characters yapping nonsense at each other. It’s amusing, sure, but it’s hard t...