Mermaids

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Mermaids

PG-13

1990

1h 50m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

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24 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Fifteen-year-old Charlotte Flax (Winona Ryder) is tired of her wacky mom (Cher) moving their family to a different town any time she feels it is necessary. When they move to a small Massachusetts town and Mrs. Flax begins dating a shopkeeper (Bob Hoskins), Charlotte and her 9-year-old sister, Kate (Christina Ricci), hope that they can finally settle down. But when Charlotte's attraction to an older man gets in the way, the family must learn to accept each other for who they truly are.

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Variety Staff

Variety

The delightful Ryder, billing notwithstanding, is really the star.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Derek Adams

Time Out

Self-conscious, eccentric...

Jun 24, 2006

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Vincent Canby

New York Times

Miss Ryder is so good, in fact, that "Mermaids" might have dared to be a tougher, more satisfying movie than the stylish sitcom it is.

Rated: 3/5

May 20, 2003

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

... a sweet if familiar tale, part eccentric family comedy and part coming of age romance.... It’s not always convincing but it is warmly directed by Richard Benjamin and set to a soundtrack of pop songs of the early 1960s.

Jun 11, 2023

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Mermaids is not offensively bad. It would need energy for that. [Full review in Spanish]

Nov 3, 2022

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Every character is personable and amusingly written, with a persevering wittiness present even during sadder moments.

Rated: 7/10

Sep 14, 2020

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Frans B

Loved this one. Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci really shines in their characters. Very well written and directed to a T by Richard Benjamin. Great cinematography. This movie might just be a benchmark in many senses of the word. Deeply emotional, highly energetic, wacky, witty and razor sharp wit. Very entertaining.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/27/25

Full Review

Dahiana M

Amé esta película de inicio a fin, Winona dando una actuación impecable y Cher que nunca decepciona. Definitivamente merece mucho más reconocimiento

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/13/25

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ADAM K

Cher is a fantastic actress. Ricci and Ryder perfect for their roles. Funny, serious and touching film. Real life

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/25

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alan g

Cher's "acting" is a disgrace. What could have been a good movie is ruined by her. Stick to "singing".

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/07/24

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Mike P

Contrived coming of age story about a family of vagabond eccentrics traveling from town to town in the 60s; because the mom, Rachel, (Cher); a real swinger, likes to hit and run before the dust settles. That's until Charlotte, (Winona Ryder); the oldest daughter, falls in love with a bus driver in Massachusetts...And decides she wants to stay. And then the sparks really fly as the two finally have it out. And the acting here isn't bad... Between Cher and Winona...But the cliched script and the mannered direction from Richard Benjamin are just totally unconvincing and the whole thing never really works. If you want to see a similar piece from that era; about 2 girls and their eccentric "mother" who turns their life upside down, see 1987's "Housekeeping" starring Christine Lahti. It's amazing. But this is just a failed Cher-star vehicle.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/23/24

Full Review

helder f

Unpretentious and light. This movie marks for its simplify - which works well. Cher’s performance stands out, very effortless and always well measured. The plot is fine, nothing superb but nothing mediocre. Joe is a strange character, not well developed but appearing somewhat erratically with very few lines… almost used as prop. All in all a lighthearted movie

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/04/24

Full Review

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Richard Benjamin

Director

Cher

Mrs. Flax

Winona Ryder

Charlotte Flax

Bob Hoskins

Lou Landsky

Michael Schoeffling

Joe

Christina Ricci

Kate Flax

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Synopsis

Fifteen-year-old Charlotte Flax (Winona Ryder) is tired of her wacky mom (Cher) moving their family to a different town any time she feels it is necessary. When they move to a small Massachusetts town and Mrs. Flax begins dating a shopkeeper (Bob Hoskins), Charlotte and her 9-year-old sister, Kate (Christina Ricci), hope that they can finally settle down. But when Charlotte's attraction to an older man gets in the way, the family must learn to accept each other for who they truly are.

Director: Richard Benjamin
Producer: Lauren Lloyd, Wallis Nicita, Patrick J. Palmer
Screenwriter: June Roberts
Production Co: Orion Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $34.9M
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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