User reviews

I thought this movie was absolutely wonderful. It was so very cute and fairly funny at times! Very different from most movies with the whole mermaid thing. See men dig fish! Remember that! You know what I really enjoyed about it? The fact that you had this nutty guy going around trying to prove she was a mermaid, yet looking completely stupid and insane while doing so.. Oh man he was so funny. I remember growing up watching this movie.I loved it then and still do. It's a classic, a must see. If you haven't seen it already, I suggest you rent it! Enjoy it! Tell me how it goes, but I bet you will love it just as much as I do! ;)

On David Letterman in 1983, John Candy got an awkward, giggling reaction from the audience when he described the plot of his upcoming movie, SPLASH, which, to most everyone's surprise, would work so perfectly it didn't seem a stretch at all...

Involving two pairs connected to Tom Hanks...the first and funniest with his older, flaky, black-sheep brother Candy, passive partner of their family's fruit/vegetable company, hilariously running after any woman around while Hanks, struggling to keep the business alive and having just broken-up with his girlfriend, is both aloof and brokenhearted...

That's until being rescued by, and then taking care of, a beautiful mermaid (already set-up in the prologue and continuing with beautiful underwater shots) in Daryl Hannah's Madison, turning New York City into another character...

Because it's literally a fish-out-of-water story where the humor derives from how she, despite having a completely straight and vulnerable role, reacts to this new world while Hanks, especially in scenes with his odd couple brother, uses sharp, ironical humor even during the inevitable downturn...

Which is thanks or no thanks to initial villain Eugene Levy's subplot as a mermaid-obsessed scientist, out to prove he's not crazy, leading to a rather dark military-compound final act...

Quite a bummer comparably, yet it still works since Ron Howard's previous film NIGHT SHIFT had its own farfetched (to this one's fantastical) premise: herein backed by neatly-timed dialogue and creative direction as the characters are forced to resolve what was a unique and downright miraculous romantic-comedy template to begin with.

Here's a true piece of Hollywood Candy, a sweet as they come! An 8-year old boy falls off of a tour boat at Cape Cod and is saved from drowning by what appears to be a little girl mermaid. The boy never forgets about what happened that day, although everyone insists he was hallucinating.

Years later, now a man (and played by Tom Hanks), another trip to Cape Cod brings dejavu: Hanks falls off of a tour boat and is rescued by an all grown mermaid (played by Daryl Hannah). Could it be the same mermaid that saved him when he was a boy? -- The mermaid has normal legs when kept dry, but once splashed with water, the legs turn into fish fins. Hannah is able to conceal her true identity, until a "bad guy" exposes her. There are complications, but eventually everything comes up roses.

One great scene is where the grown up mermaid spends 6 hours in the electronics department of a store, and learns the English language fluently by watching TV non-stop. Cute! -- This film is very entertaining and helps us feel compassion for anyone who is somehow different from what society considers the norm. The somewhat predictable ending is beautiful! Highly recommended, especially to the hopelessly romantic cinema enthusiasts out there!

Before Tom Hanks became known for his dramatic turns, he used to be a funnyman and a successful one at that as shown in the 1980's. Splash is one of his early films and it showcases his talent. This is also an early directorial effort by Ron Howard and it is a very good one. As a romantic comedy, one may have to suspend disbelief because of the far-fletched plot. But the film itself is very likable and funny. It will endear to nearly everyone, especially fans of Tom Hanks.

Howard's film is about a Manhattan bachelor named Allen Bauer who falls in love with a mermaid from Cape Cod and when their romance is made public, they must fight to save the mermaid's existence......and their love.

This is Tom Hanks at his funniest. He is a really funny guy, and the film proves that. He makes many jokes and even is adept at physical humor. However, he does show a very sentimental side which comes very useful in the film. Daryl Hannah does a good job as the mermaid, even if she does learn the entire language of English in six hours. Eugene Levy was fantastic as the man trying to prove the urban legend is real. Finally, as always, John Candy is pathetically dumb but really funny and sweet-hearted in the film.

Overall, Splash is a very endearing rom-com and it is a different style from what we are used to seeing with these kind of films and that is fine with me. It may not be entirely believable, but the film is about how love can find anyone, even the working man. This is a very good film and from what I see, not many people have seen this film, at least my generation hasn't. I rate this film 9/10.

This film is one of the first cinema works of Tom Hanks' career, and is perhaps one of the most interesting comedies in which he entered. In fact, among the endless list of romantic comedies of the 1980s, it is one that has stood the test of time. The story tells how a mermaid falls in love with a young man, how she finds him again in adulthood, and how they struggle to be together, despite the fact that she is different and the army want to capture and study her.

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, it has charm. The work of all involved was well harmonized for a good final product. Despite using a mythological being that doesn't exist, the film's credibility is not an issue. The film intends to use fantasy to make audiences dream, and it does it very well. Tom Hanks was young, but his excellent work here reveals talent and a promising future that, in fact, came to happen. Daryl Hannah was a beautiful woman, truly attractive and showy, and she knew how to use that in her character. She steals the spotlight whenever she appears on scene. It is curious how their careers flowed so differently, with Hanks achieving stardom and Hannah always keeping a low profile. Eugene Levy and John Candy also did well and ensure the comical moments with professionalism and effectiveness.

Ron Howard is a good director and has given a lot of proofs of professionalism and competence to this day. In this film, the painstaking way in which he directed the cast and how he takes advantage of New York's landscapes and scenery is palpable. Cinematography is quite regular, but makes good use of underwater scenes, although I do not believe that the waters of New York can have the colours and life that we see here, and that they look more like the warm waters of the Caribbean or the coast of Australia . The set of the sunken ship is also a mistake and could never be real, but it is a common thing when you imagine old shipwrecks. Finally, a word of praise and appreciation for the song used in the final part of the film, in the final credits, which are one of the most beautiful parts of the entire film.

I am not a fan of romantic comedies, even though I know how to enjoy them. This film, however, is one of those that I have seen several times since I was a child. I think he has aged well and I am sure we will continue to see him for a few more years.

Great star cast: Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, John Candy, Eugene Levy, & Shecky Greene. Great cinematography! Special effects holds up well today.

Allen Bauer (Hanks) has been looking for love but has failed to find someone he connects with. One day he ends up meeting Madison (Hannah) who is a mermaid. He brings her to the city with him where love and comedy ensues. The rest of the cast help to round out this wonderful romantic comedy.

I'm not a fan of most romantic comedies - most are just icky! But this particular film I do enjoy - it's a fantasy about a mermaid and man falling in love.

Great film!

9/10.

Splash is one of those romantic comedies that leaves viewers entertained and enchanted at the story about the love between a man and his mermaid girlfriend. The chemistry between Tom Hanks & the gorgeous Daryl Hannah was charming and sweet, they made a cute couple in this adorable movie.

When Allen Bauer was eight years old he had an accident while on vacation with his family, he fell off a ship into the water and was rescued by a mermaid (MacKarvich). 20 years later Allen, (Hanks) is grown up and running his father's fruit produce business with his older, bachelor fun loving brother Freddie (Candy).One day Allen returns to Cape Cod because of old memories, to this day he still remembers the accident but doesn't know for sure if there was a mermaid.

While heading to Cape Cod Allen has another accident and is rescued by the same mermaid, she travels to New York to find the man she saved twice. Once they meet again sparks begin flying and he names her Madison (Hannah) after a street sign. Meanwhile scientist Dr. Walter Kornbluth (Levy) is determined to find and show people that this girl is a mermaid, after a few days Allen's fallen in love with her not knowing why she acts so strange or comes from a place with no music, ice or clothes. When Madison's secret is revealed and she's captured by other scientists Allen, Dr. Kornbluth and Freddie make a daring rescue attempt and free her from government hands. Afterwards Allen & Madison leave New York behind and swim away together to her home. I found this movie to be enchanting and very romantic, Eugene Levy's performance as the mad scientist was comical and funny, John Candy's laughable and his role as Allen's brother was hilarious.

This movie is a perfect example of one where you *think* you know where the story will go...and then it surprises you. By the end of the first reel, there seems to be an obvious villain, cardboard characters and a clear-cut path to an ending we can already picture. We're wrong!

Eugene Levy's character starts out obnoxious and is clearly the villain of the film from his first scene, but then he does a complete 180. John Candy's character seems unlikable from the minute we see him, and we think he's going to turn out to be an obstacle in the plot. But by the climax, we see him as lovable, in his strange way. And by the middle of the third act, just when we think we know how it will end, the movie takes us into a *fourth* act. And in most movies, finding out that there's still a quarter of the film left to go before we end can be a drag, but Splash is endlessly enjoyable and watchable, so it's like a present to the audience.

It is inevitable, in a film like this, that there will be a scene where Hannah's character is revealed to her lover as a mermaid-that's no spoiler. But the way Tom Hanks' character reacts is entirely true to life. He goes through various stages of reactions, including betrayal, before finally coming down to acceptance. In a lot of movies, he would have jumped the gun and accepted her sooner, if not right away, but the script knows how unlikely this is. And the fact that John Candy, whose character alternates between jerky and pleasant, precipitates this development shows us how wrong we were about him.

This is less of a "joke" movie than many light comedies, and more of a "feel good" movie. And trust me, by the end, you will feel good, even if you don't 100 percent buy the last scene.

I can definitely see where Splash would go on to influence The Little Mermaid five years later. The plots to both films are very similar, though it does turn into more of a family friendly version of The Shape Of Water towards the end. The film is very charming and extremely funny; the ways Darrel Hannah's character interacts with the surface world coupled with the reactions of those around her, especially Tom Hanks, get a ton of laughs. The film does lose me in the third act when it starts throwing out the usual annoying cliches: the liar revealed, the breakup, the villains in suits. But, it goes back to being funny pretty quickly. The film is also a great time capsule of the eighties, full of jokes and imagery that seriously push the boundaries of the PG rating. And Ron Howard's direction is solid, including some decent for the time visual effects.

I usually am not a big fan of Hannah as an actress. She's similar to Sandra Bullock; both are a little bland and one note. However, she is fantastic here. She plays the wide eyed innocent perfectly; I have absolutely no trouble believing she's discovering all these things for the first time. And, she handles the comedic elements surprisingly well. Hanks meanwhile is his usual charming self, despite his character not always being the most likeable, and the two of them have spectacular chemistry. And John Candy and Eugene Levy make for hilarious comic foils, with tons of great running gags for both.

Overall, Splash is quintessential Disney via Touchstone: goofy yet endearing with an edge, and a bit self indulgent. I mean, Hanks literally sings Zip A Dee Doo Dah. That's the kind of silliness you can expect from this film, and if you like that sort of thing, like I do, then this is the film for you.

A classic romantic comedy that is actually very funny. Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah are both superb in this, and John Candy is absolutely brilliant in a supporting role. The story is of course very far fetched but all the characters are so likeable you won't care. Daryl Hannah is so nice in this, you'll want to believe in mermaids! There are many very funny lines in this, most coming from the late great Candy as the Oafish brother. I just wish Candy got more roles of this calibre. Of course Tom Hanks is now a superstar in films like Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan and Castaway, but perhaps Daryl Hannah hasn't reached her potential , hopefully she'll have a bit of luck in her film choices in the future. Anyway I highly recommend this as a feel good classic, and if you have seen it but not watched it in years, look it out, its still brilliant.

This is a true "fish-out-of-water" comedy and one of my favorites. It is a good example of perfect casting (especially Darryl Hannah as the mermaid and John Candy as the lovingly in-the-way brother) and a cast working well together. It is one of my two favorite mermaid movies along with Aquamarine. It starts off with Tom Hanks's character as a young boy being rescued from drowning by Hannah's character at the same age. It picks up later at the time the movie was set in New York City. Hanks is a busybody who runs into the mermaid again, except he doesn't recognize her (would you?, and he falls in love with her.

My favorite scenes are the Statue of Liberty scene, the department store scene with the TV sets and where she learns English, and where Eugene Levy is spraying the wrong people with water trying to prove that she's a mermaid.

This is a must for anybody who loves comedy and a movie with Tom Hanks, Darryl Hannah, and/or John Candy in it. A movie with those actors in it can't be that bad in it, and this is GREAT. I loved it and you will too.

*** 1/2 out of ****

I must have seen 'Splash' a dozen or more times as a child of 8 or 9 and not since. It's been my pleasure tonight to watch it with my 8 year old boy, all the scenes I remembered and some of those I didn't came flooding back and we had a real hoot.

Howard manages to create a whimsical comedy/fantasy but it's not without depth too. Hanks, in one of his earliest roles is superb as 'unlucky in love' Allen, who in the end shows that love has no boundaries. Daryl Hannah was even more beautiful than I remember and, particularly in the early scenes where she doesn't speak English shows why she was perfectly cast for the role. Eugene Levy and John Candy add the humour and make it an all round joyous watch.

I won't pretend it hasn't got 'flaws'. I mean why doesn't she just climb out of the tank, dry herself off and walk outta there, but this isn't and doesn't pretend to be some kind of statement film. I simply can't judge it that way For me, it was a childhood classic, and now is simply a classic in its own right