A Big Disappointment

Mermaids had so much potential, but falls flat. The plot is all over the place, the characters are uneven and boring, and the overall feel of the film is unfocused. The only funny part is when Ryder visits a random house and invites herself over for dinner.

Cher is unlikable. She looks great, but plays a trashy mother who randomly moves her kids around just because she can't handle being dumped by losers. The year is 1963. The setting and costumes are perfect but then comes the dialogue. It's as if each scene ALMOST reaches a potential to be fun, but bombs. This is supposed to be a comedy? I didn't laugh at all.

The multiple plot lines (and holes) are distracting. Ryder and her younger sister need a father figure. So enter Bob Hoskins. But Cher treats him like dirt. There's no closure about why she does this; it sort of just happens, and then the filmmakers move on. Ryder is dating some loser who has no personality. He flirts with her mother, and gives no reason behind it. Her younger sister almost drowns, and Cher shows again what a bad parent she is by blaming the wrong person.

Then there's the unnecessary business of JFK's assassination. It felt like a completely different movie for those brief 7 minutes.

I had heard such great things about this movie. A strong cast and nice aesthetic value. But the movie tanks completely. This movie, like the title, belongs at the bottom of the ocean.