Mermaids (film)
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| Mermaids | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Richard Benjamin |
| Produced by | Lauren Lloyd Wallis Nicita Patrick J. Palmer Suzanne Rothbaum |
| Written by | Patty Dann (book) June Roberts (screenplay) |
| Starring | Cher Bob Hoskins Winona Ryder |
| Music by | Jack Nitzsche |
| Editing by | Jacqueline Cambas |
| Distributed by | Orion Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 14, 1990 |
| Running time | 110 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $24,000,000 (estimated) |
| IMDb profile | |
Mermaids is a 1990 drama film directed by Richard Benjamin and starring Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder (who was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for best supporting actress for her role), and Christina Ricci in her first film role. The film is based on the 1986 novel of the same title written by Patty Dann.
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[edit] Synopsis
It is narrated by 15-year-old protagonist Charlotte who lives with her mother, Mrs. Flax, and her 8-year-old sister Kate. Mrs. Flax is a promiscuous and flamboyant woman who is constantly getting herself into situations from which she flees by uprooting the family and relocating. Charlotte and Kate have different fathers; Charlotte's left when she was just a girl, while Kate's, an Olympic swimmer, fled before she was born.
The story is told in the first person as the Flaxes move into a new home near a convent in a small town in Massachusetts . Charlotte has an obsession with Catholicism and decides to be a nun (her family is Jewish). This is mostly a byproduct of her desperate desire to be different from her mother, and contradictory to her own sexuality. She is especially interested in the much older and ruggedly handsome Joe, a handyman and school bus driver.
The story, set in the 1960s, culminates in Charlotte's ultimate act of rebellion as she and her sister get drunk and head over to the convent. Charlotte makes love to Joe in a church tower and Kate nearly drowns in a river running through the property.
[edit] Cast
- Cher as Rachel Flax
- Bob Hoskins as Lou Landsky
- Winona Ryder as Charlotte Flax
- Michael Schoeffling as Joe Porretti
- Christina Ricci as Kate Flax
- Caroline McWilliams as Carrie
