Splash

Tom Hanks, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are legendary names in Hollywood today, and it's impressive how far they've come from a story about a woman emerging naked from the sea to flop into the arms of a 20-something produce distributor.

Distilled to its essence, "Splash" is just that – a lonely bachelor's fantasy played out on screen. It's what writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel (who previously collaborated with Howard and Grazer on "Night Shift"), with Bruce Jay Friedman ("Stir Crazy") do to craft this hetero-male daydream into an entertaining fish-out-of- water story (literally?) that gives it real legs (sorry).

Although viewers (mostly men) will be drawn to this fantasy pretty quickly, Daryl Hannah also gets to play a goofy, atypical female lead role, which can't be underestimated in the film's success. Whether it's chomping through a lobster shell with her teeth, prancing through Bloomingdale's or just getting her fins wet in the bathtub, there's both a confidence/strength and a shyness/reserved nature to Madison – whose given name is the direct reason why you know a young woman born after 1984 named Madison. Talk about cultural impact.

So much is right with Hannah's performance. An actress with more of a name or acclaim at the time might have made Madison into more of a caricature or been distractingly attractive (given how much the camera ogles her). Hannah is alluring, mysterious and quirky in a believable way. The film's funniest moments are of her gleeful misunderstandings of American culture.

In his first big role, Hanks gives us a taste of what has made him lovable over the years. Allen is a strange and sad guy, especially in the beginning; Hanks has always done the part of the loser really well in terms of his comedic roles. He's at his best when he's frustrated, angry or desperate as Allen, but most of all he's enough of an everyman that he earns audience empathy and sympathy as a "good guy." That's all this film requires of him.

"Splash" primarily holds up due to a few clutch moments that merge fantasy and everyday comedy. Whether it's naked Madison emerging on Liberty Island and not thinking anything of it, the excellent bathtub scene or the deranged Walter Kornbluth's (Eugene Levy) attempts to expose Madison to the world, these create highly memorable and impressionable moments whether you're a kid seeing this movie on TV for the first time or a casual fan of light comedy looking to be entertained.

With a little more story and character development (Why is there a coral reef in Cape Cod and why would a mermaid be there on her own?) and the avoidance of deus ex machina, "Splash" could have even gone beyond fantastical comedy and become something a little more meaningful. The potential is definitely apparent with these two lovers from different worlds and society's fascination with things like mermaids working against them. Nevertheless, it belongs among the '80s staples and deserves some credit for leading to all the successful Howard/Grazer team-ups and Hanks hits.

~Steven C

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Splash is a really well-made Hollywood fantasy comedy, with early Tom Hanks already developing into the charismatic everyman and Darryl Hannah and John Candy at their best. But under the comedy and sweetness I have always thought there was a disturbing undertone of extreme pessimism--just what kind of ugly and cruel society do we live in, in which the mermaid Madison's only prospect is that she will be tortured, from which Hanks' character ultimately has to flee, never to see his beloved brother again? (The same dark undertone is even more pronounced, I think, in Ron Howard's next big hit Cocoon, where the old folks willingly escape an earth and families that don't seem to offer them anything anymore.)

I never saw "Splash" in the theatre, but I remember some of the media hype prior to the release of the film. And specifically I remember the much talked about production of another film staring Bo Derek and Warren Beatty. And therein lies a small fish tale.

I was working at a bookstore in a local mall prior to "Splash's" release. I was behind one of the cash registers when two men (one bald, or so I recalled, the other wearing a beret), standing above five feet, both wearing long black trench coats, and both speaking Italian (or possibly Greek), came into the store. They wanted books on mermaids, and said it was for Bo Derek's new film.

Being a shopping mall bookstore, and a small one at that, we didn't have a whole lot on mermaids. But I remember pointing them to the small mythology section, and hearing some rustling and mumbling in Italian. They came back, reminded us that it was for "Bo Derek's new film..." to which we (myself and one other employee) shrugged, and guided them to another section (children's fiction, I think). Dismayed they complained to us that there was nothing there, to which we told them that we must not have anything, and that they might want to check the library.

They left, and argued with one another out in front of the store. My coworker laughed, commenting "They know Bo Derek? Ya right!" I shrugged, and replied "You never know." Reflecting back on that episode I know understand that these were either the art directors or conceptual artists for the "other" mermaid film that was to be the basis for the mermaid-film-market that summer. Only Ron Howard was able to get his project off and completed before my two Italian patrons could get the green-light for their film.

I can't imagine what the other film would've been like. It probably would've been long, sappy, mildly amusing, and probably painted over with John Derek's supposedly "erotic" cinematography of his then wife.

Whatever.

I'm glad "Splash" came out, and was as funny as it was, and as big a hit as it was. Sometimes films don't need a market competitor, and deserve to monopolize the playing field. Not always, but sometimes they do. "Splash" could've fallen into the Mariana's trench of summer B-movies, but Howard and company had the right intuition to make the film smart, and not to put a nail in Davy Jones's locker by making "Madison" some mindless love interest.

I can imagine Bo's movie would've had her roaming naked on the screen for about a third of the film, and probably would've packed the theatres with older teenage boys and frat-rats. I guess there's a place for that sort of thing. Even so I'm glad "Splash" was the film that made the charts instead of that other one.

I will admit there have been some romantic comedies I have not liked, and others I have. One thing for certain though, I adore Splash! It is a beautiful, charming and sweet romantic comedy that has quickly become a favourite of mine. For instance the whole film is beautifully shot, with lovely cinematography and stunning underwater sequences. Plus New York looks absolutely gorgeous here.

The music is also delightful. The song in the end credits was so beautiful, I nearly cried. Maybe it was also to do with how it is sung; the vocals were sublime, and never spoiled the mood of the song. The script is funny and touching, more the latter than the former, but who cares? There are still some funny parts of the movie. The direction from Ron Howard was secure and focused throughout.

There were so many charming scenes in Splash! The ending certainly was exactly that, and a bit of a tear jerker as well. Another charming scene that springs to mind was the ice skating scene. Not only how it was filmed, but also the music featured. A perfect choice of music for that particular scene, the Skaters Waltz. I also thought that the movie's length was perfect, and the pacing was just fine.

And I can't write this review without mentioning the performances. Every single person did a superb job. Tom Hanks is charismatic and likable enough and was perfectly cast as Allan Bauer, a successful businessman who falls in love with a beautiful mermaid named Maddison. Speaking of Maddison, didn't Daryl Hannah look gorgeous here? She is a generally ignored actress, and she was positively charming. Eugene Levy plays a sort of bad guy, and he is funny as well as detestable. However, the film's humour comes from the late John Candy who is hilarious as Allan's brother.

All in all, I adore this movie. Out of all the romantic comedies I have seen, this has to be the most charming and possibly irresistible. I have been vocal before about not trying to take IMDb ratings to heart, but 6.2 is too low for this movie. It does deserve a higher rating than that. While not the best movie ever made, it is certainly one of my all time favourite movies for a number of reasons. 10/10 Bethany Cox

SPLASH (1984) **** Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Shecky Greene. Excellent fantasy comedy directed by Ron Howard about produce salesman Hanks who, unbeknownst to him, falls in love with a mermaid (innocently played nicely by Hannah) in Manhattan and asking the immortal question: Is love blind? Superb support ably handled by Candy as Hanks' would-be swinging bachelor brother and Levy as a mad-as-a-hatter obsessed marine biologist intent on exposing Madison (named after the avenue). Best bits: Hanks' opening soliloquy about him not finding love in a bar and Hannah's gift of love: a water fountain.