Mermaids
by Richard Benjamin
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bob Hoskins, Cher, Christina Ricci, Michael Schoeffling, Winona RyderDirector: 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
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