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Aquamarine

2006, Movie, PG, 98 mins

Aquamarine: Review

AQUAMARINE
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It's hard to believe this supremely silly 'tweenage fantasy — a fishy mix of WEIRD SCIENCE and SPLASH aimed squarely at undiscriminating young girls — is based on a book by novelist Alice Hoffman. As summer draws to a close in Baybridge, Fla., Claire (Emma Roberts), a timid orphan living with her grandparents (Roy Billing, Julia Blake) at their Tampa-area beach club, faces the dreary prospect of starting eighth grade without her best-friend-forever, Hailey (Joanna "JoJo" Levesque). Hailey's marine-biologist mom (Claudia Karvan) has finally gotten the research grant of her dreams, but it means once again uprooting her daughter and moving all the way to Australia. One stormy night, Claire and Hailey wish upon the hurricane gods to perform whatever miracle required to keep Hailey in Florida, and the next morning they're surprised to find that their wish has come true — sort of: A massive wave has washed a mermaid named Aquamarine (Sara Paxton) out of Baybridge Bay and into Claire's swimming pool. Mermaids have the power to grant a wish to anyone who helps them, but Aquamarine, who can sprout legs provided the sun is shining and she doesn't get wet, has her own agenda. She did a runner on the eve of her arranged marriage to a slimy merman, and unless she can prove to her cynical king-of-the-seas father that love is more than a fish tale, he's going to drag her back to the altar. Aquamarine has three days to prove her point by getting high-school grad and lifeguard Raymond (Jake McDorman) to fall in love with her. If Claire and Hailey agree to help, Aquamarine will grant them their fondest wish. But Aquamarine isn't the only girl in Baybridge who's got her eye on Ryan: Spoiled Paris Hilton-wannabe Cecilia Stone (Arielle Kebbel), who runs with a posse of like-minded mean girls, is determined to reel in Ryan for herself. Aside from an inspired bit involving a pair of sycophantic starfish, it's amazing how unimaginative a movie about a mermaid can be, and it's sad how thoroughly its girl-power stylings devolve into a muddle of mixed messages. On the one hand, the film celebrates the friendship between smart Claire and tomboyish Hailey, who are determinedly not like Cecilia and her crew. On the other hand, there's never any question that Ryan will wind up with some skinny blonde or other. And while Aquamarine appears sly and confident while in the water, once on land and in the vicinity of a dreamy boy, she becomes dizzy, dumb and totally at sea. leave a comment --Ken Fox
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