Mermaids [Region 2] | ![Mermaids [Region 2]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RKWD2ZQ4L._SL500_.jpg)
| Director: Richard Benjamin
Actors: Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder, Michael Schoeffling, Christina Ricci
Category: DVD
Buy Used: $34.12
Rating:  57 reviews
Format: Pal
Languages: German (Original Language), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language), Italian (Original Language), German (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), German (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Dutch (Subtitled), Swedish (Subtitled), Danish (Subtitled), Finnish (Subtitled)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 2
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 4010232007216
ASIN: B00005K4MK
Theatrical Release Date: December 14, 1990
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
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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| Customer Reviews: Read 52 more reviews...
 Sweet and charming despite its familiarity... February 6, 2009
Andrew Ellington (Mulholland Drive)
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.
 worth the money December 24, 2008
Michael Hellen
After seeing this movie in the theatre,I noticed that parts of the movie were filmed around where I live,and was brought up. I bought the movie on VHS,and eventually bought it on DVD. I bought a new DVD from rufuswarestore. It was a good price,came fast,and arrived in perfect condition. I would buy from them again.
I Love This Movie! December 3, 2008
Penny Dreadful (Under Your Skin)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you want to know what Mermaids is all about plot-wise, there are dozens of reviews to tell you that, but as for me, I'm here to gush praises on one of my favorite movies ever! When I was a teen I loved this movie to death! I saw it a few weeks back and you know what, it's still pretty much wonderful! When I think of this film I think of the good old days, not the pre-upheaval 1960's Mermaids depicts, I mean my own good old days of the early '90's when I'd watch this movie all the time, and life was so darn good. Mermaids is just an awesome movie, I don't see how anybody can NOT be enchanted with it, and that's really all I've got to say about it. :-)
A quirky chick-flick April 2, 2008
Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States(cashbacher@yahoo.com))
My wife and I recently watched this movie and when it was over, she called it a "quirky chick-flick." I couldn't agree more. Cher is a talented actress, but that talent is truly displayed when she plays an unusual character. That is the case here. In this movie, she is Mrs. Flax, a woman with two daughters that is ahead of her time. Abandoned by her husband during the birth of her first child and having been impregnated by a guest at the hotel where she was working as a maid, Mrs. Flax stays in a location for a short time and then moves on. Given the time setting of the early sixties, it makes her very unusual.
This is very hard on her children, particularly the oldest daughter Charlotte. Having been unable to establish roots, Charlotte's goal is to become a Catholic nun, even though she is Jewish. Throughout the early part of the movie, there are voiceovers of what is going through her mind as she encounters various forms of temptation. These voiceovers add a degree of seriousness and comedy to what is the very serious problems of a teenage girl. Kate is the youngest daughter and a great swimmer with Olympic hopes. She practices holding her breath in the bathtub, which makes for occasional humorous interludes.
On a whim that is a stab on a map, they end up in a small town in Massachusetts, where Mrs. Flax meets Lou, a shoe salesman played by Bob Hoskins. Mrs. Flax and Lou hit it off immediately and they enter into an unusual romance. The degree to which Cher and Hoskins blend and play off of each other is amazing, it seems that their opposite actual personalities serves them very well as they play opposites on the screen.
There are two high points in the movie. The first is the assassination of President Kennedy and the reaction of the people. This is very well done, the tenseness of the people surrounding television sets in stores and businesses and the looks on their faces. The second is when Charlotte is experiencing her first sexual encounter and Kate falls in the water and almost drowns. This brings all of their tensions and problems to the surface, where Charlotte finally expresses all of the frustrations about her life and admits that her father will not be coming back.
Not by any means a great movie, this is one with many unusual twists and turns as people with problems try to cope and overcome them. It has the unusual aspect that you feel happy for Charlotte when she is engaging in sex for the first time, even though it clearly is the wrong thing to do at that time.
Gypsy Mama February 6, 2008
M. R. Estante (North America)
Cher plays the gypsy mama to two daughter who moves every time she gets her heart broken. Winona Ryder plays the older daughter who finds being 15 and a parent to her mother difficult when she finds herself competing with mom for the attention of a handsom older classmate. An interesting film about the chaos of frequent moves and uncertainty in the early 60's.
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