The Pool
Metascore
77 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
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  1. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    100
    At the heart of this picturesque fable is a truism so shopworn it can barely stand repeating: It's better to give than to receive.
  2. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Stephen Cole
    100
    A miraculous, American-made Hindi film that is every bit as tranquil as the blue-green reservoir that serves as its abiding metaphor.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    91
    Smith transfers an Iowa-based short story by Randy Russell to India's western Goa region -- and works in Hindi, primarily with novice actors. The result is a story both authentically specific and profoundly global.
  4. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Sheri Linden
    90
    Uplifting without a drop of sap, the tale of a boy's obsession with a glittering swimming pool and how it changes four lives offers numerous pleasures and one of the most satisfying and resonant conclusions to be seen in recent cinema.
  5. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    90
    In the manner of a Satyajit Ray film, The Pool avoids melodrama, the better to capture the texture of Venkatesh's vagabond life.
  6. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Michael Hardy
    88
    Like Anderson, many directors claim to value local color, but few have gone as far, or achieved such impressive results, as has Chris Smith in The Pool.
  7. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    83
    It's a funny, sweet-natured humanist character piece.
  8. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    80
    A lovely, warm, unforced film that gives you time to get to know its characters and isn't propelled by any artificial narrative conventions,
  9. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    75
    It's a bit schematic and sweet-natured, perhaps to a fault, yet the faces linger. Smith and his mixture of actors and non-actors remind us that an act of generosity is all it takes to change a life.
  10. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    75
    A charming and enjoyable movie.
  11. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Walter Addiego
    75
    Except for Patekar, the main actors are nonprofessionals, which works nicely here.
  12. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Stan Hall
    75
    In the end it may amount to little more than an exotic fable, but it is a particularly conscious, wise fable.
  13. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Nick Pinkerton
    70
    This heightened consciousness of objects and obligations ballasts the drama-light, class-conscious fable with tactile life.
  14. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Thomas
    70
    In its leisurely, exceedingly subtle way, The Pool charts Venkatesh's gradual awakening to the larger world.
  15. Variety
    Reviewed by: Robert Koehler
    70
    Smith's utterly natural filmmaking there is impressive.
  16. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    70
    The result is a vivid portrait, not just of one unforgettable young man but also of a country in transition.
  17. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Zack Haddad
    60
    This simple film can be quite a great diversion from our every day grind. The camera style, characters, and visual look are all quite impressive, while maintaining an easy accessibility for the audience's eyes. It is only too bad that the film feels so sluggish.
  18. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Bill White
    58
    Pleasant viewing, but the unbalanced script and amateur performances keep it from being much more than a walk in the park.
  19. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Joe Neumaier
    40
    Smith ("American Movie") sees the poetry in everyday people, and lets his rambling story find its own rhythm.

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