| Mermaids | | Cast : | Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder | | Director : | Richard Benjamin | | Studio : | MGM/UA Video | | Format : | Color, Widescreen, Closed-captioned | | Released Date : | December 14, 1990 | | DVD Released Date : | February 06, 2001 | | Language : | Spanish (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | March 15, 2005 | | Summary | A Fun Chick Flick with Many Good Moments | Content
 | A lightweight but enjoyable chick flick set in the Sixties starring Cher in the role of Mrs. Flax, a single mother who is forever moving from one place to the next every time one of her love affairs runs aground, or so tells her daughter Charlotte (Winona Ryder), whose narration appears here and there in the film to fill in the gaps when the plot would not normally explain itself. From the outset, the Flax family is a study in contrasts. Mrs. Flax (her first name is never disclosed in the film, which seems odd, as she is the most extroverted member of the family) is flirtatious to a fault. Charlotte, although her family is Jewish, is obsessed with Catholicism and the Catholic rite. Kate is totally involved in swimming and nothing else, hence the title of the film. Mrs. Flax wastes no time in striking up a friendship with Lou Landsky (Bob Hoskins), the shoe-store proprietor in the center of town, and that friendship quickly becomes intimate. Charlotte's obsessive pursuit of the celibate life of a nun is shaken when she meets a handsome man who works at the convent (Michael Schoeffling).
The plot tends to meander somewhat in the latter part of the film, but the dialogue in the film is first rate, and somehow the acting keeps the film afloat. The pairing of Bob Hoskins and Cher might seem unlikely, but they are an amazing couple in the film. The sequence in which Charlotte discovers that she is not pregnant comes across as particularly amusing, especially considering who her mother is and how unlikely it would be that she would reach that age and be so naive; whether it is believable or not, it still gets a good laugh. The finale has little, if anything, to do with the film, but by then, who cares? It's just for the fun of it, and that's what this film is about: having fun. |
| Rating | | | Date | December 29, 2004 | | Summary | An quirky,entertaining piece! | Content
| Mermaids is narrated by the angst-filled teenaged Charlotte Flax (Ryder), who is exasperated by the tendency of her mother (Cher) to move house (and state) as soon as the bin's full, or (more likely) as soon as her latest entanglement with a married boss starts to unravel. Mrs Flax, as Charlotte disparagingly refers to her mother Rachel, is a peripatetic soul, whose only answer to life's challenges is to leave them behind. For Charlotte, the only consolation to her most unsatisfactory lifestyle is her adoration of her little sister, Kate (Ricci), on whom she dotes. In spite of their Jewish origins, Charlotte is obsessed with the mysteries, icons and rites of the Catholic Church. Its rituals of penitence and martyrdom fascinate her and she can relate the history and grisly fate of each of the martyred saints in all their goriest detail.
As we are introduced to the Flax girls, mother and daughter are embroiled in conflict again, as they find themselves in a new home and a new state, this time Massachusetts. The brooding teenager and her charismatic mother have very different priorities of need as they set up their new home. Charlotte needs grounding, Rachel needs distraction and action. Their conflict spills over as the family goes to buy shoes, particularly when Rachel does nothing to deflect the more-than-professional attention she receives from the shoe store owner, Lou Landsky (Hoskins). This particularly galls Charlotte, who carries a fantasy in her heart that the father she never knew will one day come back and complete her family and her longing.
She regards her mother's acceptance of Lou's advances with disdain, whilst at the same time harbouring a guilt-ridden romantic obsession with young Joe Porretti (Michael Schoeffling) - a young local man with a past who works as a handyman at the nearby convent (perfect!).
As they become more entrenched in this small town, Rachel and Lou spend more and more time together. He is besotted with Rachel, and becoming closer to the girls, none of which is really part of Rachel's game plan. She is reluctant to engage in any form of long term arrangement (even the meals she serves are finger food - in her estimation - anything else smacks too much of a commitment), and does not want to include anyone else in her family.
The dilemmas and dramas of Rachel and Charlotte play out as the opposite extremes of a similar persona. Whilst Rachel is winsome, free-spirited and charismatic, and Charlotte is repressed, ultraconservative and introverted, both are utterly flamboyant and solipsistically theatrical. Each of them engage in outrageous flights of dramatic fancy that frequently have momentous impact on those around them whilst, in the main, they emerge relatively unscathed from their melodramatic follies.
That is, until little Kate has a mishap of her own, with potentially devastating consequences. For the first time, neither Rachel nor Charlotte have control over their own destinies; and they do not handle it well. Whilst they wrestle with their guilt and grief by engaging in the blame-fest from hell, it's Lou who attends to the practical details.
This is a stylish Hollywood set-piece that is better than average overall. The leads all turn in excellent performances, and whilst the conclusion was probably never in much doubt, it is a sufficiently engaging film to warrant lazy Sunday afternoon standby status. It bears watching more than once and is sufficiently quirky to maintain audience satisfaction. I quite enjoyed revisiting the film.
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| Rating | | | Date | September 12, 2004 | | Summary | Great movie about growing up - | Content
| And getting your hands on the guy you really, really like, only to find out he's not what you expected.
This film probably taught me a lot when I watched it while growing up. Thankfully, my relationship with my mum is a lot better than the relationship between the two main characters, played fantastically by Cher & Winona Ryder. Sometimes the movie comes across as over ambitious: there's a little sister (Christina Ricci, in a very young role) and also two separate love stories run simultaneously with the mother-daughter theme.
Christina Ricci is the shining star in this movie, she's very cute looking, although at one point she does look like ET! She seems to be left to the side a lot, as the main characters are Winona & Cher, but when Christina is in a scene with them, she steals the limelight firmly away. Hard to believe she was only 10 in this movie, and has since rumoured to have a breast reduction - although it could be through to (severe) weight loss.
Winona was prefect to play this role. It concerns all the teenage angst you can possibly have in one movie, although the scene where she goes to the doctor thinking she's pregnant after one peck on the lips is positively cringe worthy. The climax in her & Joe's relationship with their drunken love making scene shows all the tenderness & pain of your first time, whether you're drunk or not. And how it could all go down the pan afterwards when you feel awkward around each other.
Bob Hoskins plays the loveable Lou, although I wasn't that keen on him in this movie. He seemed to eager to please all the time and dare I say it, almost sleazy in his pursuit of "Mrs Flax".
There's of course a lack of extras on this DVD, which I was epxecting, but afer seeing "The Shoop Shoop Song" video on a music channel's ultimate movie soundtracks weekend, I wish they'd put it on the DVD!
This a movie full of dark eyed beauties, and will probably remind you of your first love. It's a great movie for just thinking back over your life, and remembering all those stupid fights with your mother. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 23, 2004 | | Summary | The movie was wonderful. | Content
| My wife and I both enjoy this film. It has many good elements to it.
It can be funny or sad, within moments, and makes you want to know how things turn out. It's a great period piece: 1963-1964. Love the music and the cars are nice, too. An excellent performance from all of the actors. |
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