Splash (1984)

A young man is reunited with a mermaid who saved him from drowning as a boy. He falls in love with her, not knowing who or what she is.

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Brian Grazer (story), Bruce Jay Friedman (screen story)

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, Eugene Levy

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Hanks	...	Allen Bauer
Daryl Hannah	...	Madison
Eugene Levy	...	Walter Kornbluth
John Candy	...	Freddie Bauer
Dody Goodman	...	Mrs. Stimler
Shecky Greene	...	Mr. Buyrite
Richard B. Shull	...	Dr. Ross
Bobby Di Cicco	...	Jerry
Howard Morris	...	Dr. Zidell
Tony DiBenedetto	...	Tim, The Doorman (as Tony Di Benedetto)
Patrick Cronin	...	Michaelson
Charles Walker	...	Michaelson's Partner
David Knell	...	Claude
Jeff Doucette	...	Junior
Royce D. Applegate	...	Buckwalter

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

mermaid | new york city | public nudity | saved from drowning | naked in public | 

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Taglines:

Allen Bauer thought he'd never find the right woman... he was only half wrong!

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Swedish

Release Date:

9 March 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Splash: Jungfrau am Haken

Filming Locations:

Biltmore Hotel - 506 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,174,059, 11 March 1984, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$62,100,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Stereo (as Dolby Stereo) (Dolby Stereo) (Stereo) Dolby Digital (re-release) Dolby Atmos (2012) (re-release) DTS (2012) (re-release)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Daryl Hannah swam with the mermaid tail so fast that her safety team could not keep pace with her.

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Goofs

In the final car chase sequence, 2 men play chess in front of a clear walkway. When Allen and Madison pass them, a flock of pigeons suddenly appears, and rises into the air. When Allen drives in reverse to escape, the same pigeons fly backwards.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah swimming and coming to an underwater city.

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Alternate Versions

One TV version uses an alternate take of Madison entering a sunken ship; it's shown in long shot instead of the close-up of Daryl Hannah in the theatrical version. This is because Hannah's nipples can clearly be seen in that shot. Another take is used during the climactic underwater sequence for the same reason.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Guilty Pleasures - 1987 (1987)

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Soundtracks

Love Came For Me
Written by Lee Holdridge and Will Jennings
Performed by Rita Coolidge

User Reviews

Just OK

A mermaid (Daryl Hannah) falls in love with a man (Tom Hanks). According to this movie, when a mermaid's tail completely dries it turns into legs. So, she tracks him down on land. They both immediately fall in love...but he has no idea that she's a mermaid. And a bumbling, evil scientist (Eugene Levy) knows she is and will do anything to prove it...

This was a HUGE hit in 1984--but I fail to see why. It has it's good points--it's beautifully directed by Ron Howard (the underwater sequences are magical). Dody Goodman throws in some truly funny moments as Hanks' scatterbrained secretary. Hannah is unbelievably beautiful and letter perfect as the mermaid--when she's stumbling around nude on dry land (mermaids don't wear clothes) her utter innocence is totally believable and very engaging. It's refreshing that this was given a PG rating despite the frequent glimpses of Hannahs' breasts. Also her getting used to life on land is very sweet. And Hanks (looking like a little kid) is very good and has a few laugh out loud lines in the movie. But that's about it.

I found the movie very slow (this does NOT need to go on for 2 hours); Levy was horribly unfunny as the scientist; John Candy (who could be good in the right role) is also unfunny as Hanks' brother; there are plot loopholes you could drive a truck through; I really didn't find it all that funny (I think I laughed 5 times--that's not good for a 2 hour movie); we have the boringly predictable military as the enemy role and there's an ending I just couldn't buy at all.

The only scenes that really work are with Hannah and Hanks. They have zero chemistry between them but they're both very good in their respective roles. And there are some nice directorial touches by Howard (it's hard to believe this was only his third film).

I can only give this a 5. I was bored most of the time.