Splash
Romantic comedies today have basically devolved into badly written, cutesy, unfunny tripe with lame supporting casts and a general who gives a crap attitude among cast and crew, which makes this viewer hearken back to 1984 when one of the first major hits of the genre was released, complete with a smartly written (Oscar nominated) script, genuine chemistry between the leads, and a supporting cast who know enough to bring their comedic A-game to the material. Tom Hanks (hot off of Bachelor Party and rising fast) stars as Allen Bauer, a produce wholesaler whom as a kid, fell off a boat in Cape Cod and was rescued by a beautiful little girl who was actually an honest to goodness mermaid (a simple, yet touching prologue). Years later, he finds himself single and lonely and heading back out to Cape Cod, only to encounter the now adult mermaid (Daryl Hannah) again. Eventually she follows him back to New York City, emerging out of the water (with legs when she is dry), and beginning a romance with him while learning about all the nuances of human life and culture. Hannah does a great job conveying the innocence of someone getting to know our world, and Hanks matches her with his often bemused reactions as well. As a bonus, in the supporting cast we get SCTV alumni Eugene Levy as the crazed marine biologist determined to prove that mermaids are real and John Candy as Hanks’ older playboy brother, and these two comedic heavyweights (along with Hanks, right up there as one of the best male comedy stars during his 80s run) provide plenty of laughs and smiles for the (male) viewers and refuse to allow the film to descend into maudlin mediocrity. It can be said that director Ron Howard allows the film to run a bit too long, with a couple of very minor subplots that slow things down, and Levy’s character in particular is not given a very satisfying sendoff, but the film does succeed in having tons of charm and some actually very quotable lines that have gotten into more than one person’s vernacular, not to mention the mermaid’s adopted name (Madison) went on to become quite popular among parents who used it to name their daughters. It is also notable that this was the FIRST Disney movie (under the Touchstone banner) to be allowed to feature ANY kind of adult content, but primarily at heart it’s still just a classic kid’s movie, as well as an enjoyable date movie (or chick flick) that won’t leave the man squirming in his seat with a script that is so good that it makes one weep considering the quality of writing you see in most films today…
8/10