Chris Pine stays strong despite review bombing of directorial debut

Chris Pine's directorial debut, "Poolman," has received mixed reviews ahead of its theatrical release on Friday.

While some critics have praised Pine's ambition, the film currently holds a 21% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviews calling it an "unfunny spoof" and "an inside joke that never lets its audience inside.

Despite the criticism, Pine views the experience as a positive one. In a recent interview on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, Pine said the negative reviews were "a real come-to-Jesus moment for me, in terms of seeing how resilient I am."

"Poolman" tells the story of Darren Barrenman (Pine), a Los Angeles resident who maintains a pool and dreams of improving his city. The film also stars veteran actors Danny DeVito and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Pine discussed the initial difficulty of processing the negative feedback. "After the reviews in Toronto [Toronto International Film Festival]," he said, "I was like, maybe I did just make a pile of s---. So I went back and watched it, and I was like, I f---ing love this film. I love this film so much."

However, the experience has strengthened Pine's resolve. "It's forced me to double down on joy," Pine said. "As an actor...fundamentally it's about play, right? What we do is essentially become children for hours a day and make believe.”

While promoting the film, Pine also spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the movie's origins during the Role Call Interview. The idea for "Poolman'' came to Pine about five years ago, with the character's name and overall look coming later. Inspiration for the character's appearance struck Pine while waiting in line for coffee in California. "I saw this rock climber, and I was like, 'That's the guy,'" Pine said, describing the look as a "70s dirtbag hippie."

"Poolman" releases in theaters today.