Review: Pools

19 November, 2025 William Eguizabal 0 Comments 3 categories

Title: Pools
MPA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Sam Hayes
Starring: Odessa A’zion, Mason Gooding, Michael Vlamis
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

What It Is: Kennedy (A’zion) is having a rough time. Her entire life seems to be falling apart. Her dad has passed away, she can’t and won’t pay attention in school even though she’s on scholarship, and to make matters worse, it’s hot as hell and the air conditioning isn’t working. Her only solace might be jumping into a nice, cool pool. With help from her friends Reed (Gooding), Shane (Francesca Noel), and mutual frenemy Delaney (Ariel Winter), they’re all trying their best to make the best of it.

What We Think: It’s time, ladies and gents. It’s time for Odessa A’zion to ascend. She’s absolutely excellent here. She’s about to appear in Josh Safdie’s solo effort Marty Supreme alongside Timothée Chalamet. She’s had a really solid year with four movies, a recurring role on CBS’s Ghosts, and the premiere of HBO’s I Love LA.

Let’s talk about her here: she’s great, and as the lifeblood of this film she has the charisma to hold you. Her chemistry with her co-stars is phenomenal — they all feel, collectively, like real friends. Michael Vlamis steals the show a lot of the time. It was a pleasure getting to talk to him and director Sam Hayes about the film; check that out below.

Our Grade: B+, There’s something enjoyable about the chaos and madness of this film. From some really good performances to solid direction, there’s a lot to like. It’s not a reinvention of the wheel in any way, but it takes some of the things other similar films do and makes them its own. You’ll see glimmers of things that feel familiar, but there’s so much great stuff here that you won’t be able to pin down the influences. Even I couldn’t fully.