Product Description

Don't let this spectacular 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition be the one that got away! Academy Award(R) winner Tom Hanks (1994 Best Actor, FORREST GUMP) stars as Allen Bauer, a workaholic who's convinced he can't fall in love. That is, until he's mysteriously rescued at sea by the mermaid of his dreams! Soon Allen and Madison (Daryl Hannah, KILL BILL) are swept away by hilarious and heartwarming romance. Academy Award(R) winner Ron Howard (2001 Best Director, A BEAUTIFUL MIND) directs a star-studded cast, including Eugene Levy (BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE, AMERICAN PIE), and hilarious John Candy (HOME ALONE) in a magical tale that now includes all-new bonus features.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1725 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-03-23
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Color, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 110 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Tom Hanks was a relatively unknown TV actor with a sitcom as his biggest credit when relatively unknown director Ron Howard (best known for his own sitcom acting) cast him in this surprise hit. It made stars of Hanks, Daryl Hannah, and John Candy and an A-list director out of Howard. Hannah is a mermaid who comes to Manhattan in search of Hanks, the guy she has twice saved from drowning. Hanks runs a business with his lovable blowhard brother (Candy), whose goal in life is to have a letter published in Penthouse. When this perfect woman shows up, Hanks can't believe his luck and plunges into a dizzyingly romantic relationship, unaware of her sea-water secret. But the mermaid needs to soak and unfurl her tail from time to time, which leads to complications, including her capture by the government for scientific study (what else?). Hanks is winningly charming and Hannah is a perfect match in this enjoyably high-spirited comedy, though the biggest laughs belong to Candy. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews

Splash
If you love 80s romances then this will be right up your alley! It has Daryl Hannah in slouchy boots and Tom Hanks in a skinny tie. It is a sweet story and definitely will take you back.

Madison the Mermaid
SPLASH. This movie is actually an essay about the difference
between erotica and pornography. Near the beginning of the
film, John Candy shows up carrying stacks of pornographic
magazines (Penthouse) saying his letter has been published.
Later you see him drop coins (tolkens) upon the ground so
that he might have an excuse to look up women's dresses.
When Darryl Hannah (the Mermaid) walks across a lawn near
the Statue of Liberty, you see men pointing these
"pay-per-view" binoculars in her direction, and others
rushing over to get their picture taken with her. She is
objectified and put on display.


Later, you see Eugene Levy's character running around trying
to throw water upon Madison (Darryl Hannah) to reveal the
Mermaid so that he can take a picture of her, exposed.
He splashes the wrong girl, and her boyfriend looks upon
Levy who is caught holding a camera, in anger and disgust.
Levy later refers to himself as a "man of science" who just
wanted to prove to people he was not crazy. Perhaps the
director (Ron Howard) is suggesting that academics
(psychiatrists, biologists, sociologists, political
scientists, etc.) are actually sexual deviants looking for
social acceptance?


In one scene, John Candy speaks of adult pay-per-view
television in motels, and then we see her, the mermaid in
a giant "gold fish bowl", put on display before scientists.
She is kept behind locked doors. You might imagine the
following dialogue, which is never heard: "Hey, what are
you doing in there? Nothing. Well, research, but of
an intellectual nature." When Hanks character, Allen
shows up to rescue Madison, he climbs up a ladder to talk
to her. Whereas the others saw her on display, he climbs up,
to talk to her. He doesn't see the "tv screen", the "gold
fish bowl".


Allen and Madison are in love, and so he never sees
her without her clothes on (naked, vulnerable): He just
sees the Mermaid, invincible, covered, and strong. But
when she is first revealed, he is horrified, while cameras
attack her, putting her on public display and putting
distance between her and him, invading their space. When
Levy's character says, "Behold, the Mermaid!" you can hear
anger in his voice, while the cameras objectify her.
Perhaps the anger is expressive of envy (why does she get
to be the goddess?) or of resentment (of a woman's power
over a man who would desire her).


You cannot buy a woman's love, but neither can you expect
it to be "free for the taking; exploiting thereof", like
a land rush. You can only hope to receive, to be loved,
to be chosen. Cannot a dime be used as a screwdriver?
When John Candy drops the change on the ground, he is
using that metal, not engaging in a commercial
transaction. His intentions are what matter, and his
intentions are questionable.


In another scene, Allen (Tom Hanks) is angry at Madison.
And she says his voice is different and she runs away,
scared. In another scene, she buys him a gift. In a
restaurant, she eats a lobster while others stare.
Allen says to a doorman, "This door keeps spinning on its
axis. You need to get it fixed." I began to wonder if
Hannah was playing the guy, and Hanks the woman.


In another scene, Hannah is watching television in a
television store while doing aerobic exercises. Later,
the tv sets explode, and Allen says to the sales people,
"Hey, how about those Nicks?" Why would a guy watch
sports on television when he could be watching women
exercising on another channel, or for that matter, a
Victoria Principal skin cream commercial? Also, women
sometimes "nick" their legs while shaving. This movie
I thought did a remarkable job of explaining the
difference between erotica and pornography.


A note to parents: There is a scene where somebody seems to
to pronounce the name of the Lord in a disrespectful manner,
but there is a flash of light, quickly followed by the
sound of thunder, indicating that this is not something you
should do. That said, I can't recommend this movie for
people, adults or children, who are really innocent, or
easily offended by any reference to what is called
"pornography".


If you liked this movie, I also recommend 'Far and Away',
which was also directed by Ron Howard, the star of 'Eat My
Dust'.

Splash
Great Movie!!! Tom Hanks is my favorite actor and he is wonderful in this film