Hollywood doing it right is often more result of a happy accident rather than conscious and serious effort. Films based around simple “high concept” formula and destined to turn into forgettable mediocrity might succeed simply because they gather talents at their prime or people at the start of their careers and working extra hard to prove themselves. That might explain the success of Splash, 1984 fantasy comedy directed by Ron Howard.
Protagonist, played by Tom Hanks, is Allen Bauer, owner of fruit and vegetable wholesale business in New York. While he is relatively well-off financially, his romantic life is a mess and after another traumatic break-up he gets drunk and impulsively decides to travel to Cape Cod, where he as a child had strange encounter with a girl in the sea. There he gets in the series of unfortunate accidents and again ends in water, where he is saved from drowning by mysterious and beautiful nude woman (played by Daryl Hannah). She is actually a mermaid and when Allen returns to New York, she tracks him in the sea and swims ashore at Liberty Island, where she is immediately arrested for public indecency. Allen learns about the incident, bails her out and brings her to his apartment where witnesses her strange behaviour, but also can’t help falling in love with her. Mermaid, who learns English by watching television and names herself “Madison”, enjoys her time with Allen but their romantic bliss is threatened by her strange secret and pursuit by crazed scientist Dr. Walther Kornbluth (played by Eugene Levy) who desperately wants to prove that mermaids actually exist.
The film originated years earlier as an idea by Brian Grazer, producer who would later become of the most influential persons in Hollywood. He was trying to pitch it to various major studios and without much success until Disney, in an effort to branch out to more adult market, recognised this combination of fantasy, romance and comedy as the perfect way to launch its distribution label Touchstone Pictures. Grazer was fortunate to have his old associate Ron Howard as director; the film is directed very competently, whether the scenes that take place in New York or those featuring underwater cinematography. Grazer was also fortunate to have Daryl Hannah in the role of Madison. Actress, until that time known mostly as pretty face, excels in physically demanding role in which spends large amounts of time wearing huge artificial fin or having strategically located hair hiding her nudity. She also proves to be great comedienne and has excellent chemistry with Tom Hanks is his first major film role. Hanks is great in this film, effortlessly and convincingly switching from neurotic New York yuppie to romantic hero while also showing huge talent for comedy. The rest of the cast is also very good, which includes Eugene Levy as obnoxiously smug scientist and great John Candy as Allen’s hedonistic brother. The script is much weaker. It leaves certain plot holes and the true nature of Madison or explanation from her transformations from mermaid into human and vice versa is never given. The film actually ends when most films with similar concept would begin – in a moment when Allen is to be introduced to Madison’s undersea world. This might be frustrating for some viewers, but they are definitely minority. Splash is as entertaining today as it was few decades ago and its enduring popularity can be seen in making Madison popular girl’s name in USA and other countries of the world.
RATING: 7/10 (++)
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Good review that goes into the most important aspects of the film in a critical style. This is a film I was not familiar with with Tom Hanks in the lead role, but it looks interesting, in terms of style and romantic fantasy. Greetings!
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