by David C. Terr

Prev <<        >> Next

Title: Mermaids

Director: Richard Benjamin

Starring: Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder, Michael Schoeffling, Christina Ricci

Release Date: Dec. 14, 1990

Running Time: 110 min

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Commentary
Mermaids is a charming film about a flirtatious single mother with two children who have a lot of difficulty growing up with her, especially her teenage daughter. The movie is both funny and serious, culminating in a near-tragedy which nevertheless brings the family closer together. All the acting is superb in this film.

Plot Summary
Mermaids is told from the point of view of Charlotte Flax (Ryder), a teenage girl growing up in a small town in Massachusetts in 1963. Her single mother Rachel (Cher) is constantly moving around and having shortterm romances with nearly every man she meets. Charlotte is disillusioned, wanting to break away from her Jewish roots and become a nun. However, she ends up developing strong feelings of lust for a young church employee named Joe (Schoeffling). Meanwhile, Lou Landsky (Hoskins), Rachel's latest flame, starts bonding with her as well as her kids, much to her dismay. Charlotte ends up getting into more and more trouble. In the end, her young sister Kate nearly drowns due to her negligence, but ultimately everything works out and the family becomes stronger.

Social Relevance
Mermaids is based on a 1986 novel of the same title by Patty Dann. The main theme is mother-daughter relationships, and the moral is that mothers need to communicate with their daughters in order to avoid having them repeat their mothers' mistakes.

Movie Clips

Here's the cast singing "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)". Several movie clips are shown in background.

Here's a great scene between mother and daughter.