Allen Bauer is rescued from drowning as a young boy off Cape Cod by a young mermaid. Years later, he returns to the same location, and once again manages to fall into the sea, and is rescued once more by the mermaid (Allen isn't sure what he has seen and what he has imagined). Using maps from a sunken ship, the mermaid decides to search for Allen in New York City, sprouting legs when her tail dries. On finding Allen, they fall in love, but she has a secret, which will no longer be a secret if she gets her legs wet.Written by
Rob Hartill
Daryl Hannah, a vegetarian, refused to eat real lobster for the restaurant scene. The crew scooped out the insides of real, cooked lobsters and filled them with hearts of palm and mashed potatoes. Ron Howard said Hannah cried after each take over the deaths of the lobsters for their shells. See more »
Goofs
The silver ring with a large black stone noticed at the lobster dinner is also seen when Madison goes for a swim before accepting Allen's marriage proposal. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Mary Bauer:
[catches Freddie looking up women's skirts]
Freddie!
Young Freddie:
I dropped something.
Mary Bauer:
Ralph, talk to him.
[Ralph smacks Freddie upside the head]
Mary Bauer:
Listen to your father. Come on, from over there we can see Cape Cod.
Ralph Bauer:
We were just on Cape Cod. We could have stayed there, I would have saved twelve dollars.
Mary Bauer:
Allen, sweetheart, don't you want to see Cape Cod?
[Allen shakes his head]
Mary Bauer:
All right, darling, you know where we are if you change your mind.
See more »
Crazy Credits
Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah swimming and coming to an underwater city. See more »
Alternate Versions
A scene where Madison meets an elderly, ugly mermaid - the Sea Hag - who warns her of falling in love with a human, was filmed but dropped before the film was released. Short parts of this complex scene can be seen on the DVD. See more »
Over-achieving little film that was directed by Ron Howard and stars Tom Hanks as a young man who finds the woman of his dreams (Daryl Hannah). The only problem: she is really a mermaid. A smart screenplay and some real drama in the film save this project which could have been a disaster, but ends up being a nice piece of entertainment. Eugene Levi and John Candy are appropriately hilarious in supporting turns. 4 stars out of 5.
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Over-achieving little film that was directed by Ron Howard and stars Tom Hanks as a young man who finds the woman of his dreams (Daryl Hannah). The only problem: she is really a mermaid. A smart screenplay and some real drama in the film save this project which could have been a disaster, but ends up being a nice piece of entertainment. Eugene Levi and John Candy are appropriately hilarious in supporting turns. 4 stars out of 5.