“Aquamarine” (20th Century Fox)
A Mermaid Tale For Tweens
“Aquamarine” is a sweetly satisfying tale of a mermaid that is aimed at tweens, those young girls on the brink of becoming a teenager. Its fairy tale qualities ensure it a place in the hearts of young girls who dream of true love and romantic situations. Joanna “Jo Jo” Levesque, Emma Roberts and Sara Paxton are perfectly cast as the trio of young girls who have a “mermaid” adventure at the beach.
Claire (Roberts) and Hailey (Levesque) are best friends, but now they are being separated by Hailey’s mom taking a job in Australia. The twelve-year-old girls are devastated at the thought of being separated. They are frantically trying to devise a plan by which Hailey will be allowed to stay behind.
One night there is a storm and the swimming pool close to Claire’s house is flooded with seawater. Claire and Hailey discover there is also a mermaid named Aquamarine (Paxton) in the pool. Aqua, as they call her, has the ability to grow legs during the sunlight hours so Claire and Hailey take her home and give her modern clothes to wear.
Aqua tells them her father is trying to force her into an arranged marriage with a merman. She has three days to make someone declare their love for her. If she can do that the marriage is off and she can follow her heart. She also tells the two girls if they help her she will grant them one wish (and you know what that will be).
The trio goes to the beach and Aqua spies hunky lifeguard Raymond (Jake McDormand). She declares he must be the one to fall in love with her. Although both Hailey and Claire have crushes on Jake they agree to help Aqua win him over. Their campaign does not sit well with pretty, rich girl Cecilia (Arielle Kebbel) who wants Jake to fall in love with her.
The plot of the movie is totally wholesome and provides a good lesson on the value of friendship. Claire and Hailey end the movie being stronger in their friendship and more aware of how to solve some of life’s problems.
The film is rated PG for mild action and language.
Levesque is charming as Hailey. She is very natural acting in all the situations the film involves. Roberts is another charmer. She has inherited the Roberts’ talent gene that has stood her father Eric and her Aunt Julia in good stead. Paxton manages to make her role as the mermaid believable without seeming silly.
This is a movie aimed at young girls. They will eat it up. The rest of us will be mildly entertained but not overwhelmed.
I scored “Aquamarine” a fish out of water 5 out of 10.
