| Aquamarine | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Elizabeth Allen |
| Produced by | Susan Cartsonis |
| Written by | Jessica Bendinger John Quaintance |
| Based on | Aquamarine by Alice Hoffman |
| Starring | Sara Paxton Emma Roberts Joanna Levesque Jake McDorman Arielle Kebbel |
| Music by | David Hirschfelder |
| Cinematography | Brian Breheny |
| Editing by | Jane Moran |
| Studio | Storefront Pictures |
| Distributed by | Fox 2000 Pictures |
| Release date(s) | March 3, 2006 (United States) |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12 million[1] |
| Box office | $23,006,849[1] |
Aquamarine is a 2006 Australian-American teen fantasy comedy film starring Sara Paxton, Emma Roberts, and Joanna "JoJo" Levesque (in her film debut). The film, which was made in both the United States and Australia, was released in North America on March 3, 2006. The film, loosely based on a children's book on the same name by Alice Hoffman, and directed by American director Elizabeth Allen was filmed in Queensland, Australia.
Contents |
Two teenage friends, Hailey Rogers (JoJo) and Claire Brown (Emma Roberts), regret that they will be separated in five days, since Hailey has to move to Australia because of her mother's (Claudia Karvan) job. One night, after a violent storm, Hailey wishes for a miracle that will make her mother change her mind about moving, and so they find a mermaid named Aquamarine (Sara Paxton) in the swimming pool of their beach club. The girls are frightened at first, but then curious. They start to talk with Aquamarine and promise her they will be back in the morning.
The next morning, Claire wakes up and hears a commotion down at the swimming pool where they left Aquamarine. Claire's grandparents Bob and Maggie (Roy Billing and Julia Blake) were clearing the pool because of the huge storm. Both Claire and Hailey quickly rush down to save Aquamarine but when they reach the pool, everything has been cleared. They hear noises by the nearby beach's snack shack and find a nude Aquamarine. The only difference is that she has legs instead of a mermaid's tail. Aquamarine tells them she can assume human form on land during the day if she does not get wet. Claire and Hailey become friends with Aquamarine, who tells them that she came to land to find love, an idea she knows nothing about, but desires desperately. She tells them that she made a deal with her father that if she can prove love is not a myth, she will not have to undergo an arranged marriage to a spoiled merman, but she only has three days to do it. She notices a handsome lifeguard named Raymond (Jake McDorman), whom Claire and Hailey have admired for a while, and enlists the help of the two girls to win his heart in return for granting their wish. The girls see their opportunity to keep Hailey from moving and quickly work on prepping Aquamarine on the how-tos of attracting a man. These self-educated relationship experts, having gained all their knowledge from reading magazines every day and often quote them, soon realize it's a lot easier said than done.
Claire and Hailey's rival - a spoiled, rich girl named Cecilia (Arielle Kebbel) - tries her best to stop them, but ultimately fails, causing her father to cut off her driving privileges. Also prominent is an eccentric, compassionate caretaker, Leonard (Bruce Spence), rescues Aquamarine from public discovery and then Aqua grants him a wish; he now has a lovely relationship with Bonnie (Lulu McClatchy), his long-time crush. Eventually, it is not Raymond that convinces Aquamarine's father about love, but Claire and Hailey, who are willing to give up their wish and their lives in the aiding of a friend. Raymond and Aquamarine share a kiss and promise to meet up again in the future, Raymond promises he'll wait for her. Hailey and Claire get their wish from Aquamarine, but decide not to use it until later. Aquamarine gives both Hailey and Claire a starfish earring, which tell Hailey she is beautiful inside and out, and Claire is courageous and has a true heart. Aquamarine says that they can always call her on her shell phone.
Aquamarine received mixed to positive reviews; it currently holds a 52% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus "A lighthearted, gum-smacking, boy-crazy film with a hopeful message for young girls."[2] On Metacritic, which uses an average of critics' reviews, the film holds 51/100, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[3]
The film opened in the North American box office at #5 with $7,482,669; by the end of its domestic run, the film had grossed $18,597,342 domestically and $23,006,849 worldwide. On a $12 million budget, this can be considered a success.[1]
The film was nominated for two Teen Choice Awards for "Choice Breakout (Female)" and "Choice Chick Flick" and two nominations and one win for the Young Artist Awards.
| Aquamarine | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by various artists | |
| Released | February 21, 2006 |
| Genre | Pop, Rock |
| Label | Universal Motown Republic Group/La La Land |
In 2008, La La Land Records released a limited edition CD (1000 pressings) of David Hirschfelder's score (incorporating the voice of Sara Paxton) for the film.
The film was released June 13, 2006 on Region 1 DVD.