Family man Thomas (Freddie Prinze Jr.) seemingly has it all – a beautiful wife (Monica Potter), two kids and a great job. Behind the façade of the perfect life, Thomas is having an affair with younger woman Hannah (Gabrielle Haugh) who turns up at his house to surprise him on the day of his birthday. As the two takes advantage of an empty house and start fooling around by the pool, Thomas chases after a drone that has been spying on them. When he returns, Hannah is floating dead in the pool and he has to hide all of the evidence as family and friends arrive at the house for a surprise birthday party.
‘The Girl in the Pool’ has an intriguing mystery at its heart that slowly unravels as the film progresses. Switching between flashbacks of the events leading up to Hannah’s death and Thomas trying to hold things together after his wife Kristen springs a surprise party on him, there’s plenty here to sink your teeth into. How did Hannah die and who killed her is the driving plot of the film, with Thomas spiralling as he fears her body will be found and he’ll be blamed for her death.
There’s more to the film than just that main plot though. Thomas and Kristen’s marriage is hanging on by a thread, something that is evident to their two children and the people around them. Kristen’s father William (Kevin Pollak) doesn’t even try to hide his disdain of his daughter’s husband, causing further friction in an already conflict-packed family. With plans to leave his wife for Hannah, Thomas is left reeling when he finds her dead body and his reaction is driven by a need to preserve the ‘perfect life’ he’s projecting to the outside world.
‘The Girl in the Pool’ starts off strongly. We see snapshots of Thomas and Hannah getting cosy, spliced with moments of Thomas veering towards the edge as the gravity of what’s happened hits him. This provides a nice set-up for the viewer to get invested in as they try to work out what happened to Hannah. Was it Thomas that brought her life to an end or is there someone else hiding a secret? As the film moves towards its final act, that’s where things start to fall apart. The script lets the talented cast down, especially Prinze Jr. who gives a monologue during the final moments of the film that feels unnecessary and unbelievable.
It's a shame as the film’s cast is decent. Freddie Prinze Jr. and Monica Potter, once hot property in Hollywood show that they can still carry a film. Kevin Pollak has fun as the interfering father-in-law and Gabrielle Haugh is forceful enough as Thomas’ mistress who wants more than to be a bit on the side. Even the film’s more preposterous moments, the cast manages to hold your attention with their solid performances.
‘The Girl in the Pool’ should have been, and almost is, a silly little pot boiler of a mystery that whiles away 90 minutes of your time. If the script had been tighter and the plot hadn’t swung into silly territory in the second half, it would have carried it off. Despite a talented cast, the film can’t overcome its short comings and by the end you feel a little bit let down after a good build-up.
Cast: Freddie Prinze Jr., Monica Potter, Kevin Pollak, Gabrielle Haugh Director: Dakota German Writer: Jackson Reid Williams Certificate: 15 Duration: 89 mins Released by: Signature Entertainment Release date: 20th January 2025 Buy ‘The Girl in the Pool’ now
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