‘The Girl in the Pool’ Review: If Hitchcock’s ‘Rope’ Was a Lifetime Original
Dakota Gorman’s The Girl in the Pool is truly a mixed bag. The film has the bones of a decent thriller. However, the narrative is derivative, and tonal imbalances and amateur showings from some supporting players keep the flick from being entirely immersive. With that said, this mystery thriller is effective enough to be an amusing distraction for a night in. And if that’s all you’re after, you’re not likely to be disappointed by The Girl in the Pool.
The film follows Thomas (Freddie Prinze Jr.), a middle-aged zaddy who seems to have everything. He’s got a good job, a palatial estate, a beautiful wife (Monica Potter), and two kids who adore him. But because enough is never enough for some, Thomas is also entangled with a much younger mistress. His wandering eye proves to be his undoing when she turns up dead in his pool. Not sure how she perished or who is responsible, Thomas stows her corpse in a storage bin outside his home, only to learn his family has staged a backyard surprise party for him. Talk about bad timing. Yikes!
Like many films from burgeoning filmmakers, The Girl in the Pool starts better than it ends. The flick begins with a level of promise. But by the end, we’re left with remnants of what might have been. The Girl in the Pool is not a total loss. The dizzying opening sequence impressed me. Gorman successfully maintains some of that momentum beyond the first act. Still, multiple shortcomings keep the picture from ever reaching the point of greatness.
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One sticky wicket that keeps the film from fully succeeding is tonal inconsistencies. There are moments of dark comedy that break up the tension. A couple of them are good for a chuckle. But the film would have been better off maintaining the intensity and staging the comedic asides at more opportune times. As it stands, the tonal inconsistencies keep The Girl in the Pool from being entirely immersive. But to be fair, they aren’t so jarring as to render the flick unwatchable.
Another point of contention is that some of the dialogue needed a second pass. There are a couple of times where exchanges between characters are so unnatural that it took me out of the film. That aspect is further accentuated by tertiary players who aren’t convincing in their supporting roles. None of the showings are abysmal, but some of the smaller parts are played by actors lacking the experience of the core cast.
Despite what The Girl in the Pool doesn’t get right, I appreciate some of the cinematic references and thematic influences. Speaking of references and influences, it’s clear Hitchcock’s Rope was an influence on screenwriter Jackson Reid Williams. There are several sequences that serve a similar energy as party guests sit on and around the receptacle that holds the remains of Thomas’ dead mistress. No one is giving Hitchcock a run for his money here but I still enjoy a good homage.
Gorman also plays with nonlinear narrative techniques, giving us pieces of the puzzle leading up to the inciting incident and then bouncing back to the timeline where the bulk of the film unfolds. Nonlinear storytelling is a great technique for rattling the viewer and preserving a twist. I wish it had been used a little more effectively here. However, the approach still successfully pays homage to filmmakers like David Lynch, Christopher Nolan, and Quentin Tarantino, who have used a fractured timeline to wow their audience with a shocking reveal.
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The twist here doesn’t reach the level of the filmmakers who have more effectively used the nonlinear narrative approach. However, the technique still manages to plant seeds of doubt and give the viewer reason to suspect several different characters. I just wish Williams’ script had produced a less predictable reveal at the end. But the flick still delivers an entertaining viewing experience on par with a Lifetime original. Though The Girl in the Pool is slightly better than the output of the Lifetime Movie Network, it serves the same energy and employs similar tropes.
All in all, The Girl in the Pool doesn’t get everything right. However, if the idea of a pulpy thriller that features a serviceable performance from Freddy Prinze Jr. in his daddy era appeals to you, you might just enjoy this murder mystery.
The film is out now in select theaters and on digital.
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‘The Girl in the Pool'
Summary
‘The Girl in the Pool’ is effective enough to be moderately entertaining. But the film’s flaws are plenty noticeable.
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