Mermaids (1990)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Richard Benjamin

Writers (WGA):

Patty Dann (novel)
June Roberts (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 December 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

This is our mother. Pray for us.

Plot:

After another relationship has ended, Mrs. Flax moves to a new town. But now, it's her elder daughter who is love-sick.

Plot Keywords:

Swimmer | Parenthood | Pregnancy Scare | Single Parent | Small Town

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 wins

Cast

Cher	...	Rachel Flax
Bob Hoskins	...	Lou Landsky
Winona Ryder	...	Charlotte Flax
Michael Schoeffling	...	Joe Porretti
Christina Ricci	...	Kate Flax
Caroline McWilliams	...	Carrie
Jan Miner	...	Mother Superior
Betsy Townsend	...	Mary O'Brien
Richard McElvain	...	Mr. Crain
Paula Plum	...	Mrs. Martha Crain
Dossy Peabody	...	Coach Parker
William Paul Steele	...	Fred, Boss in Oklahoma
Rex Trailer	...	Dr. Reynolds
Pete Kovner	...	Perfect Family Father
Patricia Madden	...	Perfect Family Mother

Runtime:

110 min | Canada:93 min (Ontario - edited version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:PA (Ontario) | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Big Lake, Texas, USA

Trivia:

In the scene where Charlotte and her mother fight about Kate's accident, Charlotte gets angry and breaks a plate. The scene ends with her mother slapping her in the face after a rude comment. The exact same things happened in Cher's film Mask (1985).

Goofs:

Factual errors: Although the latter portion of film takes place in January, we never see any evidence of snow, even though the film is set in Massachusetts. Also, the characters don't always seem to dress appropriately for winter in Massachusetts, dressing more as if it were autumn.

Quotes:

Charlotte Flax: I'm going to make real sandwiches; big ones that a man can sink his teeth into.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Alien from L.A. (#6.16)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

I've Found A New Baby

"The 400 Blows", as seen through a girl's eyes

(Small-town Massachusetts fills in for Paris.)

Every shot, every nuance in this film is just right. That's mostly Richard Benjamin's doing, but the great cast got inspired -- maybe by the glowing fall colours, maybe by the nostalgic fashions of 1963 -- to really outdo themselves.

Richard Benjamin's direction deserves extra credit because he was not filming his own autobiography, the way François Truffaut was in 1959. Similarities in the two storylines encompass more than just the awkwardness of adolescence. (Charlotte watches the Singing Nun on television, while Antoine lights a candle before a holy image of Balzac.)

Cher is as good as she was earlier in "Moonstruck", while Winona exceeds her performance in "Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael". And they both prove they can be pretty in pink.

Bob Hoskins and Cher have a genuine chemistry. Who ever would have predicted that they would make the ideal romantic couple?

If there's a better, truer, or funnier story of a girl's coming of age, I haven't been lucky enough to see it.