Mermaids (1990)

Mermaids is special because it captures the messy, funny ache of growing up in a household where love is abundant but stability is always just out of reach, and it does so with a light touch that sneaks up on your heart. Cher makes Rachel Flax a force of nature—flamboyant, flawed, and irresistibly alive—while Winona Ryder gives Charlotte the kind of teenage intensity that feels painfully real, and Christina Ricci quietly steals scenes with sharp, childlike wisdom. The vibe is early-’60s Americana with a slightly offbeat, storybook glow: witty, warm, and a little bittersweet as it circles faith, first crushes, and the push-pull between wanting your mother to change and fearing what happens if she does. It’s not for everyone if you’re looking for big plot fireworks or a squeaky-clean coming-of-age tale, but if you want a charming, emotionally honest comedy-drama about a family learning how to stay put—inside one town and inside each other—it’s a keeper.

Mermaids is aiming for a warm, offbeat coming-of-age story about a chaotic mother and the two daughters who keep getting dragged along for the ride, mixing laughs with genuine family hurt. The problem is it often leans into “quirky” so hard that the emotional turns can feel a bit manufactured, and the pacing wobbles between sitcom-cute and suddenly serious without always earning the shift. If you’re sensitive to stories that treat teen sexuality, pregnancy fears, and adult relationships in a glossy, slightly simplified way, this may come off shallow or tonally confused. Still, Cher and Winona Ryder have real spark, and Christina Ricci brings a grounded sweetness that makes the family dynamic watchable even when the movie strains for charm.