Aquamarine

reviewed by Jane Louise Boursaw

Suggested Ages: MPAA Rating: Star Rating:
10+ PG ****


Talk about a fish out of water! After a freak storm, a sassy mermaid named Aquamarine (Sara Paxton) washes ashore and into the lives of two best friends, Claire and Hailey (Emma Roberts and Joanna "JoJo" Levesque). The two friends are heartbroken because at the end of the summer, Hailey will move to Australia with her mom.

The klutzy and beautiful Aquamarine tells the girls that love doesn’t exist where she’s from, but if she can prove to her father that love does indeed exist, she’ll get out of her arranged marriage. She falls for hunky lifeguard Raymond (Jake McDorman), and enlists the girls’ help to win his heart -- but she only has three days to do it. In exchange, the girls will be granted one wish, and of course, they wish desperately to stay together. But is that really the best thing?

Based on the popular book by Alice Hoffman, this is more "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" than "Splash." It’s about the emotional journey of two young girls and what they learn about life on their way to adulthood. Anyone with a romantic heart will get goosebumps over this sweet story intermixed with bits of magic and melancholy.

PRE-SCHOOLER (ages 2-5): Although the idea of a woman being a fish is probably appealing to little ones, they won't get the whole first-crush/high-school-angst storyline. But mermaids are enchanting, so pop in "The Little Mermaid" DVD and give your youngsters a dose of marine magic.

GRADE-SCHOOLER (ages 6-10): There’s no doubt this movie is geared for pre-teen and teen girls. In fact, I can just picture my 8-year-old daughter and her friends coming up with this story in between writing poems and talking on the phone. So, sorry, boys, you probably won’t like it! But it’s a winner for grade-school girls, and will bring a smile to even us "older" girls. I highly recommend the book by Alice Hoffman too.

TWEEN/TEEN (ages 11+): You wouldn’t think a movie about a mermaid could seem so real, yet the filmmakers work in lots of real-life tween and teen scenarios: parental woes, true-blue friendship, snobby girls, high school cliques, first crushes, and all those other coming-of-age issues. Even better, it’s all done within a PG rating! Another draw is pop star JoJo (Hailey) and the soundtrack with songs by Cheyenne Kimball, Nikki Flores, Sara Paxton, Emma Roberts, Courtney Jave, and others.
Jane Louise Boursaw is a freelance writer specializing in the television and movie industry. Her syndicated column, "Reel Life With Jane," is published in papers throughout the country. Email her at jboursaw@charter.net.

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