Mermaids

Mermaids
by Richard Benjamin

Mermaids
Our Price: $19.98
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $8.58 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases


(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

DVD Cover Information

Actor: Bob Hoskins, Cher, Christina Ricci, Michael Schoeffling, Winona Ryder
Director: Richard Benjamin
Cinematographer: Howard Atherton
Producer: Lauren Lloyd
Producer: Patrick J. Palmer
Producer: Suzanne Rothbaum
Producer: Wallis Nicita
Writer: June Roberts
Writer: Patty Dann
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 110 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-02-06
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Movie Reviews of Mermaids

Movie Review: Sweet and charming despite its familiarity...
Summary: 4 Stars

Teenage family crisis drama movies are really a dime a dozen, and sadly what you see in one you get in the other; there seems to be no originality. That said, `Mermaids' feels like a breath of fresh air to the genre, coupling the familiar prose with some charming performances and some bite, thanks in large part to Cher's dynamic performance. Sure, it's not the most original film, but it has enough going for it to be both memorable and entertaining.

The film tells of the Flax family. Mrs. Flax is a single mom dealing with her two young daughters Charlotte and Kate. The youngest, Kate, is occupied with swimming while Charlotte, the young teen, is occupied with Jesus. Yes, as an act of rebellion young Charlotte has decided to embrace Catholicism, despite being Jewish. Her mother just allows this to roll off her back, hoping that her carefree attitude will help not to encourage her daughter's rebellion. There is obvious resentment as Charlotte watches her mother act as if she were the teenager, flaunting her sensuality like it were her only attribute. Every time her mother ends a relationship they move, and this angers Charlotte, but their latest home brings a sense of stability and self awareness that neither Charlotte nor her mother had felt before.

When Mrs. Flax meets and falls for Lou Landsky, the local shoe guy, everything changes for the Flax girls. They now have a stable man in their lives, but is that stability something they can handle?

The acting really elevates this film, Cher, Ryder and Hoskins all delivering some of their finest work. I am becoming a huge fan of Cher. She repeatedly delivered very strong performances in the 80's and early 90's. From her comedic work here as well as in `Moonstruck' to her dynamic dramatic performance in `Mask', this is yet another flawless performance that proves this woman had a lot going on. Winona was also a wonderful actress in the early 90's. Her consistently strong work in films like `The Crucible' or `Reality Bites' and `Little Woman' should not be forgotten just because she happened to shoplift a few years ago. If any actress is in need of a comeback (and deserves one) I'd say it's this girl. She had so much natural talent. She is sublime here as well, holding her own against Cher. I love me some Hoskins, like always, and here is yet another wonderfully complete performance. He can do funny, he can do edgy, he can do scary...he can do anything and he continues to this day to impress me.

The fact that Hoskins and Cher have such undeniable believable chemistry is a true testament to talent; you just want to pinch both of them they are so cute together!

Sure, like I said, this is not a perfect example of originality (it is rather predictable when you think about it) but the character development is very strong and the performances really work to make this film above average in terms of genre. It's wholly enjoyable and touching, and is a film one can watch again and again without ever getting bored.

Summary of Mermaids

Cher is magical [and] electric (The Hollywood Reporter), Winona Ryder enchanting and funny (The New York Times) and Christina Ricci adorable and engaging (Variety) in this hilarious and heartwarming portrait of a 1960s single-parent family trying to adjust to each other'sgrowing independence. Charlotte (Ryder) is an adolescent girl torn between her blossoming passions for a handsome caretaker (Michael Schoeffling)...and her desire to be a nun (a tough calling for a girl who's Jewish). Complicating her already precarious teen angst is a little sister (Ricci), a determined would-be swimmer she affectionately calls fishhead, and their mother (Cher), a non-traditional, sexy, flamboyant woman who relocates them to a new town every time she causes a hint of scandalwhich is often. But even as their personal styles clash, these three incredibly different individuals begin to see that nothingnot even a life-threatening tragedycan tear apart the bonds of family.
In the early '60s, nomadic single mom Mrs. Flax (Cher) packs up her two daughters, Charlotte (Winona Ryder) and Kate (Christina Ricci), in a beat-up Chevy wagon and moves to small-town Massachusetts. Preteen Kate is obsessed with swimming, while 15-year-old Charlotte is searching for ways to rebel against her mom (and mom's flirty ways). The route she chooses is to become fascinated with Catholicism and all its arcane rituals, even though the family is Jewish. Her coming of age is handled with plenty of Wonder Years-style voiceovers as she fantasizes about Christ, the saints, the Pope, the Church--all things Catholic. Cracks in her religious armor begin to appear, though, in the form of a hunky local guy (Michael Schoeffling) who works at the convent. Meanwhile, her mom strikes up a romance with the town shoe-store proprietor, Lou (Bob Hoskins). Though Richard Benjamin's movie is a bit slow and tends to lose its focus somewhat in the last third, Mermaids also has fairly credible dialogue and surprisingly believable chemistry between Cher and Hoskins. The segments dealing with JFK's assassination are handled particularly well, and while Ricci's role is a rather small one, she's charming nonetheless. It's all too easy for coming-of-age movies to veer toward the maudlin, but thankfully this engaging comedy-drama seldom does. Cher, by the way, reprises her 1966 Sonny and Cher look, substituting a tight skirt and pumps for her turtleneck and fur vest. --Jerry Renshaw

Comedy DVD Video

DVD Video
Movies most talked about in Movies that awesome people like
Auntie Mame ImageAuntie Mame
WARNER HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2002-10-01; DVD
Best price: $7.99
Price in other shops: $19.97
Best in Show ImageBest in Show
WARNER HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2001-05-15; DVD
Best price: $5.63
Price in other shops: $19.98
Wet Hot American Summer ImageWet Hot American Summer
UNI DIST CORP. (MCA); Release date: 2002-08-13; DVD
Best price: $7.44
Price in other shops: $14.98
Stardust (Widescreen Edition) ImageStardust (Widescreen Edition)
PARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2007-12-18; DVD
Best price: $11.58
Price in other shops: $19.99
Mermaids ImageMermaids
Release date: 2001-02-06; DVD
Best price: $10.22
Price in other shops: $14.98
Pleasantville (New Line Platinum Series) ImagePleasantville (New Line Platinum Series)
NEW LINE HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2004-06-01; DVD
Best price: $2.46
Price in other shops: $14.98
Amelie ImageAmelie
BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2002-07-16; DVD
Best price: $9.89
Price in other shops: $19.99
Punch-Drunk Love (Two Disc Special Edition) (Superbit Collection) ImagePunch-Drunk Love (Two Disc Special Edition) (Superbit Collection)
SANDLER,ADAM; Release date: 2003-06-24; DVD
Best price: $19.77
Price in other shops: $28.96
Heavenly Creatures ImageHeavenly Creatures
BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2002-09-24; DVD
Best price: $4.50
Price in other shops: $9.99
The Ice Storm ImageThe Ice Storm
Storm; Release date: 2001-03-13; DVD
Best price: $4.14
Price in other shops: $9.98
Similar DVD Movies
Hocus Pocus ImageHocus Pocus
Buena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2002-06-04; DVD
Best price: $8.43
Price in other shops: $14.99
Tea With Mussolini ImageTea With Mussolini
Release date: 1999-11-23; DVD
Best price: $6.39
Price in other shops: $14.98
Mermaids: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack ImageMermaids: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Release date: 1990-12-08; Music CD
Best price: $5.50
Price in other shops: $11.98
Death Becomes Her ImageDeath Becomes Her
Universal; Release date: 1998-01-20; DVD
Best price: $3.47
Price in other shops: $9.99
Steel Magnolias (Special Edition) ImageSteel Magnolias (Special Edition)
FIELD,SALLY; Release date: 2000-07-25; DVD
Best price: $5.96
Price in other shops: $14.94
Suspect ImageSuspect
Sony; Release date: 2001-05-08; DVD
Best price: $4.16
Price in other shops: $9.95
Silkwood ImageSilkwood
Release date: 2003-10-07; DVD
Best price: $7.59
Price in other shops: $14.98
The Witches of Eastwick (Keepcase) ImageThe Witches of Eastwick (Keepcase)
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2006-08-01; DVD
Best price: $3.67
Price in other shops: $9.98
Mask (Director's Cut, Widescreen) ImageMask (Director's Cut, Widescreen)
Universal; Release date: 2004-09-07; DVD
Best price: $5.71
Price in other shops: $12.98
Moonstruck (Deluxe Edition) ImageMoonstruck (Deluxe Edition)
Release date: 2006-04-18; DVD
Best price: $4.75
Price in other shops: $14.98
Compare prices and read customer reviews for more than one million DVD titles.
Oscar 2005 Winners