The Little Mermaid
My Blind Spot pick for February was an easy one as I have never seen the Little Mermaid and it became available on iTunes right around my birthday it was a little treat to myself.
Luckily it was not a wasted gift!
I was surprised a bit by how much I liked the beginning and the literal under the sea stuff with Ariel and Flounder and friends. I was already well-acquainted with the music though on the downside Under the Sea and Kiss the Girl have been playing in background loops in my head.
I mean it’s me so the romance was a little like…
Ariel: Do you think he loves me?
Me: No. Come on, he probably thinks he imagined you!
(Eric mooning over her and wishing he could hear her voice again.)
Me: Apparently I was wrong.
Eric: If only I could hear her voice again!
Me: Ha. Ha. That’s actually kind of funny.
I did think the film hit a bit of a lull when she gives up her voice and goes to land. Though I knew the ending I didn’t know any of the details so I was pleasantly surprised how things played out with Ariel, Ursula and Eric and completely back in by the end of the movie.
Also me during the film…
Me: I wonder if Ariel knows where Atlantis is cause in a couple of years there’s going to be a guy there that makes Eric look like chump change.
Anyway I give it an A and would totally, definitely obviously recommend it if you haven’t seen it already.
And just to stay on a mermaid theme I rewatched the mermaid film of my childhood this week after not having seen it in oh, probably twenty years.
The Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah film (also starring an excellent John Candy and Eugene Levy) for the most part it held up and I still love it. In this one Madison, the mermaid, gets to come on land for seven days with no deal with an evil Queen though she unfortunately catches the attention of a scientist (Levy) intent on exposing her which I thought was a nice modern twist.
There are some cringe moments (Candy’s character trying to look up women’s skirts, Alan and Madison having sex before she can speak even though she’s willing & Alan’s general childish behavior when she turns down his proposal.)
Still I think the end makes up for Alan’s deficiencies and the cast is so great and it’s so well shot, probably one of my favorite Ron Howard films period. I was glad I gave it a rewatch.
Splash: A-
Recommend: Absolutely.