Mermaids [VHS]
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VHS Movie Reviews of Mermaids [VHS]
Movie Review: Neither Fish nor Fowl
Summary: 3 Stars
A gentle chick flick with a token male, Mermaids nominally stars Cher, but is really a dramatic coming out party for Winona Ryder. I'd forgotten how winsome (no pun intended) Hollywood's most notorious shoplifter could be.Mermaids is about a wandering "family" of mom "Rachel Flax" (Cher), and her daughters "Charlotte" (a teenaged Ryder) and "Kate" (a very young Christina Ricci). Following another of countless relationships gone bad, Rachel has moved the girls yet again, to a small town in New England, in the early 1960s. We are supposed to find the family endearingly eccentric, and though this shtick is forced, it works with Ryder's Charlotte, and early in the picture, with Cher's Rachel. Mermaids was made in 1990, when the "eccentric"/"fish out water" fad was heating up, beginning with Twin Peaks (and then Northern Exposure), etc., except that instead of a town full of eccentrics, here we get eccentrics in a staid town.
Mom is supposedly a slut, but the locals do not make the family suffer for her "loose" behavior; indeed, the town's character is not fleshed out.
As noted, Cher, who was then living off of her best actress Oscar for 1987's Moonstruck, gets top billing, but she basically bulls through her scenes on star power, and as the picture progresses, is on screen less and less. Her Rachel Flax neglects her daughters, who get into trouble in her absence. You might say that she neglects the viewer, too. How can a "star" be absent from the screen as much as she is? It's as if the director, Richard Benjamin, had a change of heart halfway through filming, and decided to shift the focus of the story. Or perhaps Benjamin, the third director - the others were Lasse Hallstrom and Frank Oz -- on a troubled production, was caught between two semi-rewritten, June Roberts scripts. (Some reports blamed Cher for the contretemps.)
Whatever dramatic interest the movie generates is through Ryder, who herself replaced Emily Lloyd, who reportedly walked off with director #1, Lasse Hallstrom. To the degree that Mermaids functions as a movie, it is as the coming-of-age story of this demure yet blossoming Jewish teenager who wants to become a nun, and who when she gets her first kiss, thinks she is pregnant, bound for a virgin birth. And yet, such cutesy naivete doesn't fit the daughter of a mother who's been around the block as many times as Rachel Flax has.
Bob Hoskins' character, "Lou Landsky," pops up early in the picture, has an affair with Cher's Rachel, and apparently employs Charlotte (for one brief scene, at least) in his odd, mixed-use store. While the affair continues for the rest of the picture, Hoskins' character is dribbled away. I guess the production team decided, "That's enough for the guy; this is a chick flick, not The Terminator." But Mermaids sank at the box office.
Mermaids has been identified as a coming-of-age story, but that is merely one of the many tossed-off themes in June Roberts' underdeveloped script.
While entertaining, Mermaids is a movie with only one fully fleshed-out character and some nice scenes, but something less than a story.
The Critical Critic, September 20, 2003
Movie Review: An unlikely addition to my favorites list
Summary: 5 Stars
I came across this movie while channel surfing and though I didn't expect to, I fell in love with it. It is sweet, entertaining, romantic, and the acting is very believable, especially from Winona Ryder as Charlotte. Also a lot of fun to watch is Christina Ricci, only nine years old when this movie was made. Although this film isn't a laugh-out-loud comedy, it certainly falls under the category of "feel good". It is definitely worth watching over and over again.Movie Review: MERMAIDS
Summary: 5 Stars
I LOVE IT . I SEEN THIS MOVIE I WAS PROBABLY 15 WHEN I FIRST SEEN IT AND FELL IN LOVE I SEEN IT WITH MY MOTHER AND SISTERS AND WE ALL FELL IN LOVE WITH THE MOVIE. IT'S BEAUTIFUL I RECOMMEND SEE IT WITH YOUR DAUGHTERS BECAUSE REALLY THE MOVIE IS ABOUT A MOTHER BONDING WITH HER DAUGHTERS.BEAUTIFUL. PERFECT MOTHER'S DAY PRESENTMovie Review: Good movie!
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie stars Cher as somewhat of a free-spirited woman (mrs. flax), the mother of 15 year old daughter, charlotte (Winona Ryder), and a younger daughter, kate (Christina Ricci), who is 9 years old. Mrs. Flax is sassy and likes to dress sexy, especially around her male friends. Charlotte is rebelious, and her carelessness actually leads to her younger sister almost drowning! The family has many problems, and trials throughout. That is until Lou Landsky (Bob Hopkins) comes along and brings the family into balance. This is such a good movie in everyway, and as always cher is awesome! Rated PG-13, this movie is appropriate for most of your family.
Movie Review: WOW this movie is the best
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a wonderful movie. I suggest everyone to get it believe me it is GREAT!!! Well about this movie if you are thinking well I do not know it may not be my type well if you like humor this movie has it if you like exciting moments this movie has that too if you like frightening moments they have it well anyway this movie has it all and you will want to see the movie over and over again. Well this movie is about a family a mother named Mrs. Flax a women who is divorced, a daughter named Charlotte who desperatly wants to be a nun, another daughter named Kate who is a swimmer. This family moves (for the eighteenth time) and their lives begin to change. To know the movie watch it believe me it is the best movie.