Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- restless
- wistful
- summer viewing
- lazy weekend
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Kennedy searches for permission from her dead father to live independently as her life collapses around her.
Kennedy's attempt to reconnect with her father unfolds through an escape across elaborate private estates and swimming pools.
The central conflict involves Kennedy trying to claim her own life beyond parental approval and college pressures.
The film's scholarship, university, mansion, and summer-school elements place its youthful escape within contemporary Chicago college culture.
Films like Pools, and why
The Spectacular Now
shared coming of age focus, youthful alienation, and bittersweet emotional self-discovery
The Last Picture Show
shared adolescent uncertainty, summer atmosphere, and intimate dramedy tone
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
shared college-age friendship dynamics, restless escape, and queer-adjacent indie sensibility
Movie Details
- Director
- Sam Hayes
- Release Date
- 2025-06-05
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (16)
Cast
- Odessa A'zion
- Ariel Winter
- Mason Gooding
- Michael Vlamis
- Francesca Noel
- Tyler Alvarez
- Suzanne Cryer
- Raymond Fox
- Lucinda Johnston
- Joe Angelo Menconi
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Pools about?
- A collapsing college student's pool-hopping escape becomes a strange, funny search for freedom from her dead father's shadow.
- What is Pools like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Pools as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Pools violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Pools.
- Which films are like Pools?
- Films with a similar feel include The Spectacular Now, The Last Picture Show, and The Miseducation of Cameron Post.
- How long is Pools?
- Pools runs 99 minutes.
- Where can I watch Pools?
- In United States, Pools is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home.
