Mermaids (1990)

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:

An unconventional single mother relocates with her two daughters to a small Massachusetts town in 1963, where a number of events and relationships both challenge and strengthen their familial bonds.

Plot Keywords:

Mother | Massachusetts | Kennedy Assassination | Nun | Single Mother

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 wins

Cast

Cher	...	Mrs. Flax
Bob Hoskins	...	Lou Landsky
Winona Ryder	...	Charlotte Flax
Michael Schoeffling	...	Joe
Christina Ricci	...	Kate Flax
Caroline McWilliams	...	Carrie
Jan Miner	...	Mother Superior
Betsy Townsend	...	Mary O'Brien
Richard McElvain	...	Mr. Crain
Paula Plum	...	Mrs. Crain
Dossy Peabody	...	Coach Parker
William Paul Steele	...	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 | Australia:M (TV rating) | 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:

Emily Lloyd had actually started shooting when Winona Ryder became available and Lloyd was unceremoniously dumped. (She later won a sizeable cash settlement from the production company for being booted off the film). Original director Frank Oz was also replaced, reputedly at Cher's insistence.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: As the groceries are being put away, a Dole can with a 1990s logo is visible in the refrigerator.

Quotes:

Charlotte Flax: So Joe, tell me about the nuns in the convent. Do they wear underwear in the shower?

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Johnny Angel

A Fun Way to Spend an Evening

Cher and Wynona Ryder are very believable as Mrs. and Charlotte Flax, respectively. Mrs. Flax is a single mom who lives by the motto "Real women never get too old." Her bright, bold, sexy ways make her a special woman but aren't enough to spare her from all the characteristic pains of single motherhood. Moving from town to town with every new relationship, she finds herself at odds her 15 year old daughter, Charlotte.

Charlotte wants to be everything her mother isn't - pious, proper, humble, and pure. Her good intentions, however, are constantly in conflict with her basic nature, which is more like her mothers. Charlotte develops a fierce crush on Joe, the caretaker at a nearby convent. When Mrs. Flax's potentially serious relationship with the endearing Lou, played by Bob Hoskins, hits a rough patch, she too finds herself attracted to Joe. With competition for his affection to add fuel to the fire between Mrs. Flax and Charlotte, the only thing they can seem to agree on is caring for Katie, Charlotte's little sister, charmingly played by a young Christina Ricci. As things come to a head in the small town where the Flaxes are living, Katie's well-being hangs in the balance while both her mom and older sister try to work through their impulses.