Splash

This is vintage Tom Hanks, before he won and Oscar, yet after Bosom Buddies. He plays a man who as a boy was saved from drowning by a mermaid. As an adult, he is saved by her yet again, but doesn't realize it's the same mermaid. She finds his wallet that had fallen out when he was drowning the second time, and set out to find him, losing her tail for human legs once she comes ashore. He falls in love with her, not realizing she was the one responsible for saving his life, and not even realizing she's a mermaid.

I actually think of this movie often, every time I fall asleep while I'm drinking, as it reminds me of Hanks waking up with his face in a bowl of pretzels, saying, "I'm on the bar ..." Not that I've ever had a face full of pretzels. The movie is full of funny moments like that, as it's bound to with a cast that not only includes Hanks, but Eugene Levy and John Candy. Daryl Hannah, though, not so much. I liked her in this movie and figured I'd like other things she did as well, but none of her other films ever seemed to have the magic and fun of this story.

What does one remember from a relic like "Splash"? It's an important film of sorts, in that it launched Tom Hanks as a leading man, Darryl Hannah as a go-to fantasy blonde, Ron Howard as a competent director of traditional Hollywood fluff, screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel as reliable providers of high concepts and one-liners, and the late John Candy as a solid second-banana, but... is it GOOD?

Mainly, it's cute. There's not much more to say about it. Hanks is extraordinarily likable from the get-go, Hannah is luminous (her frizzy hair very, very strategically placed to keep the movie at PG level) (Look, if you wanna see her topless, get "Dancing at the Blue Iguana". This is family stuff.), Eugene Levy makes an amusing villain as the scientist determined to reveal her secret, and some of the gags are good for a chuckle (Hannah voraciously chows down a lobster and shatters TV sets when she speaks her real name). I still hate the ending, but whatcha gonna do. Pretty much everyone here went on to greater things, but for a glimpse at several major careers at their dawning, you could do much worse than "Splash." It's harmless.

Great fairy tale movie. Complete with opposites attracting, then the ever viable boy meets fish/girl, boy loses fish/girl, boy gets fish/girl. And yes, at the risk of a terrible pun, this is also a fish out of water story, in that Hannah, a mermaid, has to make her way in Manhattan. This is one of the few family movies that isn't stupid and that holds up over time. This is a real romantic comedy in that it delivers what it promises -- romance and comedy. You may even shed a tear, have a laugh and feel heart-warmed when it's over. I know that sounds corny, but it's true. I won't lie -- it's a chick flick, for sure -- but Hanks' character and his brother go trolling for babes in the movie, so there's something for everyone.