Customer Reviews

Splash [VHS]

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The DVD extras really make this 20th anniversary re-release worth owning. This movie has been run repeatedly (in edited form) on television, so there probably aren't that many people who haven't had a chance to see this delightful fantasy. The "making-of" video and the commentary track give a fascinating glimpse into the way that Hollywood works. Why did Disney wind up making this film? How did Tom Hanks get the lead? How did they choose Darryl Hannah? Who was the film's "real" star? How did they pull off the underwater shots? What was the lobster that Madison ate in the restaurant? If you have a soft spot for this film, it's a joy to watch and a real treat to get to know better.

Splash is a wonderful, romantic comedy about a man and a mermaid who fall in love for each other. This is one of Tom Hanks' earliest hits that made him a star. His co-star, Darryl Hannah, who plays Madison the mermaid, has never really had a hot film career away from this movie, sadly enough. The late John Candy and Eugene Levy provide some of the film's hilarious comedy as well. This film was directed by Ron Howard. A movie about a mermaid has to be good, and Splash does this so well. Tips off to the crew of this movie who made it so real. The underwater sequences are well done as well as Daryl Hannah herself as the mermaid. She is utterly believable as a mermaid! She is just so sexy in the rubber mermaid tail suit. She swims in it so well. This movie really brought a fairy tale type story to life. A must see for everyone. This film was followed by "Splash, Too", a Disney TV movie sequel in 1988 starring Todd Waring and Amy Yasbeck in the Hanks/Hannah roles. Unfortunately, this sequel is not on home video.

Tom Hanks had done a couple of TV shows and the producers of "Splash" really wanted a bigger name actor in their movie. Daryl Hannah had made a favorable impression in a bit part in "Blade Runner" but the big "name" in the announced cast of Splash was John Candy, who was probably paid as much as the rest of the cast combined in the role of brother Freddy.

It would have been very easy for the movie to become a broad farce with Candy and Eugene Levy in the love story of the man and the mermaid, but writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel found the right note between love story and comedy, and the cast pulls off both. The comedy varies between clever and slapstick, and seeing the film again 20 years later still made me laugh at parts. As expected, Candy and Levy do the heavy lifting in the comedy department, and they are both hilarious in their respective scenes. The whole movie wouldn't work at all, though, if we didn't believe in the central love story - and Hanks and Hannah make it work.

Hannah is a mermaid apparently not unlike Disney's Ariel. She has a tail when wet, and legs when dry. Hanks is Allen Bauer, who has inherited his father's wholesale produce business along with brother Freddy. As a child Allen suddenly jumped into the water off Cape Cod, where the child mermaid rescues him until the adults can fetch him from the water.

As an adult Allen has commitment issues and admits he doesn't love his girlfriend. After a friend's wedding he returns to Cape Cod for a little nostalgia. Another boating accident results in another mermaid rescue, but the "girl" runs away as Allen regains consciousness on shore.

The mermaid fetches Allen's wallet from the ocean floor and follows a map to track Allen down in New York City. She climbs onto dry land at the statue of liberty - lacking a tail and clothes - and is taken into custody by the police. They call the guy who owns the wallet she's carrying. (The mermaid, of course, can't speak English...)

So Allen and the Mermaid are united again, where the attraction is powerful and mutual. The Mermaid learns English watching television for an afternoon (this makes the rest of the movie easier!) and she decides to make her American name "Madison" while looking at a street sign for Madison Avenue. (Many Americans subsequently chose "Madison" for their daughters after this movie.)

Allen only knows Madison is "foreign". Madison's time on land is limited. (For reasons that aren't exposed in the film.) Levy portrays a renegade pseudo-scientist who has been searching for a mermaid his entire career. When one swims past while he's diving at Cape Cod he is startled. Then he sees a newspaper photo of a nude girl at the Statue of Liberty that looks a lot like the mermaid...

The plot isn't difficult to guess, but the performances are full of funny and touching flourishes that make you laugh and care about these characters. This isn't really a 5-star movie - but I couldn't choose 4 1/2. It's a pleasant way to spend some time with your own sweetie.

20th Anniversary Edition!.......Well it's got a good transfer and a few interesting extras, but what it is missing is the actual movie! The DVD has a altered version that removed the fact that Madison only changes back to a mermaid if she comes in contact with 'SALT' water! It doesn't destroy the film, but it does leave a sour taste in the mouth's of the people who saw the original theatrical version. The film is a very good romantic comedy/fantasy film, I would have given it a better rating if the DVD would have given both version of the film! BOOOOOOOOOOO :-(

Usually when I hear "an 80's comedy" I really hear "a silly, gross, stupid comedy"...but not this time my friends, because "Splash" is one of the funniest films of the 1980s. You see, it really has it all: funny jokes, tender moments, romance, an intelligent script, and a very charismatic cast.

In "Splash" we can see a very young Tom Hanks (in his comedic period), a promising Darryl Hannah (she didn't quite reach stardom, but in this movie she is great), a hilarious John Candy (in one of his finest and funniest performances), and Eugene Levy, he plays a wacky and clueless scientist.

"Splash" is a movie that effectively combines comedy with romance and fantasy, perhaps the movie succeeded so well because the people involved in the film were youthful and energetic, and they put their hearts in the making of "Splash". This movie is highly recommendable.

This is the very first movie my wife and I saw together. We were dating in college and this was the perfect "date" movie. We loved it and eventually got married (all because of this movie?!). To add to it... our daughter, now 2-1/2, is named Madison after Daryl Hannah's character. We're not big movie fans, but this one has a special place in our hearts.

I just watched Splash over the weekend on video, for the umpteenth time and I have to say is one of my all time favourite comedies. It still has me laughing out loud and makes me want to weep over the romantic scenes.

A young Tom Hanks plays Allen Bauer, a fruit wholesaler who has just been dumped by his girlfriend. He goes off to Cape Cod one evening after getting drunk and is rescued by a naked beautiful girl (Daryl Hannah) when he falls into the sea. The naked beautiful girl later arrives in New York at the Statue of Liberty in search of Allen whom she also saved from drowning many years ago when they were children. Allen immediately falls for her and spends the happiest days of his life steaming up his appartment and seeing the sights of New York. The only problem is the naked beautiful girl (now named Madison) is in fact a mermaid but Allen doesn't know this.

She has six whole days to stay with Allen and then she must return to the sea. Allen thinks that Madison is an illegal immigrant and offers to marry her so that she can stay with him. She refuses at first and then accepts his offer but before she can tell him her big secret she is exposed to the whole world by a scientist (Eugene Levy) that she is a mermaid. Allen is shocked and backs away from Madison but later realises his mistake and with his brother (John Candy) and the help of Eugene Levy they save her from imprisonment by the scientists.

John Candy who plays Allen's playboy brother is absolutely hilarious. His character is literally larger than life. The comic timing between Tom Hanks and John Candy is spot on. Daryl Hannah is also great as the mermaid who learns to be human in literally a few days. There are some brilliant laugh out loud scenes such as when Daryl Hannah is at Bloomingdales watching television for 6 hours to educate herself in the English language and when she's in a restaurant eating lobster including the shell. There are some great lines aswell such as when Allen mentions about getting married and having children and Madison innocently asks what kind.

Splash is a timeless comedy and is highly recommended to all those who love a bit of romance along with a good laugh.

Lealing

The script was rewritten several times, but in the version used for the screen tests (which are included on the DVD) we can tell that fresh water will change Madison back to her mermaid form since she is afraid of rain. In the version I saw when it was first released in theaters, fresh water did not change her. The marine biologist twice splashed water on her to no effect. He later realized he needed to use salt water, which explains why he had to carry a tank of water under his jacket at the presidential dinner, and why Madison added table salt to her bath. Having been splashed twice before by someone who knew she was a mermaid also explains why Madison wants to leave the dinner when she recognizes him. That it had to be salt water is mentioned in some of the original reviews. In the DVD version, it was changed back to fresh water. The woman the biologist splashes water on is someone else he mistakes for Madison, and her escort fractures his arm. I don't remember how the fractured arm is explained in the theatrical version. It would seem out of character for Alan to do it, but if he did, it would explain why the biologist was so afraid of him in the dentist's office.

This is the movie that took a young TV actor named Tom Hanks and made him a movie star. It didn't hurt the careers of Daryl Hannah, John Candy, or Ron Howard, either. Allen Bauer (Hanks) is on the rebound when a mermaid (Hannah) comes to New York looking for him. She saved him from drowning twice, although his memories of being saved are a bit hazy. He falls in love with her, of course, without realizing exactly what he's in for, because her tail changes into legs when dry. Add in Allen's playboy brother (Candy) and a zany scientist seeking to prove the existence of mermaids, and you have all the necessary ingredients for a very funny movie.

My problem was how to rate this movie. I don't really consider it to be quite a classic like "Tootsie", "Arsenic and Old Lace" or some of the others I have rated 5 star comedies here. On the other hand, it is a personal favorite, I own a copy, and I have enjoyed watching it many times. So consider it about a 4 3/4 star movie (I rounded off). Whatever, anybody who enjoys comedy should certainly get a good laugh from "Splash". It's a great "date" movie, too, so watch it with a friend.

This movie was truly entertaining. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I laughed throughout and couldn't be more pleased with the preformances given by Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah (not to mention the others playing smaller parts). The story line may be far fetched as it does involve a mermaid, and a "mad scientist" but I feel this is one of the reasons this movie is so endearing. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a good laugh, and a bit of romance.