Movie Review: Splash
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What Parents Should Know
Parents should know that literal-minded teens may take this
fantasy for an idealized version of what relationships are
like. Especially for young girls, this film may encourage them
to think that what they look like is more important than what
they think. There's some brief nudity (see the warnings) and
comic violence, and the main characters are quite sex-crazed,
though not much more than elevator make-out sessions are
shown.
Families can talk about whether they believe that Allen is really in love with Madison. Why does he love her? Is it just because of what she looks like or because of who she is? For families with kids just starting to navigate relationships, they'll probably want to discuss the way Allen and Madison fall into bed together, without speaking a single word first.
Common Sense Media Review
Once upon a time, before Disney's
The Little Mermaid or
Aquamarine
, there was a fantasy about a real-life mermaid and how she
wooed her prince. That movie was SPLASH, and it's still full of
soggy logic and romance more than 20 years after its initial
theatrical release.
In Splash, Allen Bauer (the still-wacky Tom Hanks) is in a funk. He can't commit to his girlfriend, he does the brunt of the work for his playboy brother, Freddy (played fabulously by the late John Candy), and he fears he'll be alone for the rest of his life. After a swift and painful breakup, a woman emerges from the sea and falls in love with him. And he has to decide whether he's in love with her, whether he can decode her secret past, and whether he trusts her.
Like all good romantic comedies, Splash is based on a preposterous premise: A modernized retelling of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, Madison (the mute but lovely Daryl Hannah) is a mermaid trying to reclaim the boy she fell in love with when he jumped off a boat near Cape Cod when he was 8. But can she get him to tell her that he loves her?
As a fantasy it works well enough. But as a modern parable about relationships, it sets a bad example for young girls watching it -- undoubtedly a key demographic for the film, rated PG. I mean, Splash is proof that guys will date anyone if she's hot enough. Allen and Madison fall into bed together without Madison saying a word (she can't speak English, but apparently she reads it well enough to find New York City on a map). This chick is prone to exposing herself in public, stealing his wallet for a shopping spree, and talking like a 10-year-old, which makes her seem, frankly, a little developmentally delayed. But she's pretty and she's hot for him. And that's all that matters. What we have here is an image of lust based on appearance, with some hints toward love at first sight. But for young girls already preoccupied about their weight and appearance, this film has the potential to further confuse sexual attention for true affection.
For more egalitarian romantic comedies, consider the '80s hits When Harry Met Sally, Romancing the Stone , and Say Anything .
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
