 |
| Director
: |
Elizabeth
Allen |
| Starring
: |
Emma Roberts, JoJo, Sara
Paxton |
|
| The plot of
Aquamarine |
Right before she's to move to Australia, Hailey
(JoJo) and her best friend, Claire (Roberts),
meet a mermaid (Paxton) who's washed up in their
local pool. Their new, buoyant friend has three
days to prove to her father that true love exists,
and she'll grant any wish the girls for their
help in hooking her up. |
Aquamarine
Movie Review |
Review by Joe
Leydon:
Sweet and sprightly
in just the right measures, "Aquamarine" is
one of the season's pleasant surprises. The high-concept
premise -- two adolescent girls befriend a temporarily
beached mermaid -- has been fleshed out with inventive
wit, unsticky warmth and more than a little wackiness.
Result is an unusually likeable family-friendly comedy
that could appeal far beyond its target demo of tweener
femmes and net a wider audience. Looking downstream,
pic likely will make an even bigger splash on homevid.Working
from a novel by Alice Hoffman ("Practical Magic""Practical
Magic"), scripters John Quaintance and Jessica
BendingerJessica Bendinger begin their fish-out-of-water
scenario by introing 13-year-old best buddies Claire
(Emma Roberts of Nickelodeon's "Unfabulous")
and Hailey (Joanne "JoJo" Levesque) at summer's
end, less than a week before they will be forced to
separate. Claire's marine-biologist mom has landed a
plum assignment in Australia -- far, far away from their
current home in a Florida coastal community where Hailey's
grandparents operate an invitingly retroretro beach
club.Nearly friendless except for each other, the girls
literally pray for a miracle to keep them together.
Fortuitously, their prayers appear to be answered when
a tidal wave triggered by a sudden storm washes a mermaid
into the beach club's swimming pool..more..
Review By Tim Knight:
Sweet without being overly saccharine, Aquamarine
is a likable, reasonably engaging fantasy comedy in
the literal fish-out-of-water tradition of The Little
Mermaid and Splash. This adaptation of Alice Hoffman's
young-adult novel may be fluff through and through,
but it's refreshing to see a positive depiction of adolescent
girls as loyal, brave, and sensitive—in addition
to being "boy crazy" for a lifeguard hunk.
Although Emma Roberts (Julia Roberts' niece) and Joanna
"Jo Jo" Levesque are appealing as 13-year-old
best friends in a Florida beach town, the film belongs
to Sara Paxton, the blithe, goofy charmer who plays
the title character, a mermaid who's come ashore to
find true love. Serviceably directed by first-timer
Elizabeth Allen, Aquamarine spans three pivotal days
in the lives of Claire (Roberts) and Hailey (Levesque).
When not mooning over hunky lifeguard Raymond Calder
(Jake McDorman), the girls try to avoid resident "mean
girl" Cecilia (Arielle Kebbel) and her snotty posse.
Yet there's a sad undercurrent to Claire and Hailey's
carefree summer days at the beach. Hailey and her marine
biologist mother are moving to Australia in a week,
and the girl's imminent departure is particularly devastating
for Claire, a shy girl who's terrified of the water
(her parents drowned in a boating accident). Unless
a miracle occurs, the friends will soon bid a tearful
goodbye..More..
|
