This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Friends With Fins
Plot Overview
Claire (Emma
Roberts) lost both her parents in a boating accident some time
back. She's being raised by her grandparents who like to tease
her, and she hasn't any friends in school, either. Her new friend
Hailey (Joanna “JoJo” Levesque) is being raised by her
peripatetic working mom (“She's dragged me all over the
country for her job”) after her dad left them. It looks like
they're moving again soon. Lacking the discipline of fathers in
their homes these two partners-in-crime got into some unspecified
mischief last summer. This summer they are moony-eyed over the
lifeguard Raymond (Jake McDorman) at the Capri Beach Club. A
storm deposits mermaid Aquamarine (Sara Paxton) in the club
pool, and they give her sanctuary from her controlling old man
of the sea.
The three of them make a Faustian
bargain: If the girls will impart to Aqua their studied
knowledge of boys (“We're Rayologists”) to get Ray
to love her, her father will cancel her unwelcome arranged
marriage, and she in turn will grant the girls their wish to have
Hailey's mother stay in Baybridge, so the two friends won't be
split apart. They have opposite problems. The girls are fourteen
and popular Ray is eighteen. It's unlikely he'll wait for them to
grow up. Aqua is given a three-day window to find love, and human
hearts just don't move that fast. But they're all thick as thieves;
they should be able to work something out.
Ideology
There's a special section in the middle of the Bible called the wisdom books. They're layered by perspective. First comes the book of Job, a long dispute that concludes God's wisdom is above man's and he doesn't tell us everything. Then comes the book of Psalms presenting wisdom lyrically. Proverbs is next, for the most part the wisdom a father passes on to his son, but the next-to-the-last chapter (30) is street smarts that one's friends may convey, and the last chapter (31) is the wisdom a mother passes on to her son. Then comes Ecclesiastes preaching wisdom got by experience. Finally, there's the Song of Solomon, the wisdom spouted by someone in love.
“Aquamarine” presents the street
smarts one guy might pass on to his buddy. As, (Prov. 30:1) “The words of Agur
the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel,
even unto Ithiel and Ucal.” Agur is hardly the sharpest knife
in the drawer. (Prov. 30:2-3)
“Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the
understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom, nor have the
knowledge of the holy.” Hailey lacks the practical knowledge
of, say, the caretaker Leonard, or the spiritual insight of
the communities her mother a marine biologist has taken her to in
their journeys. But nobody knows it all, and some of us quite little.
Nevertheless, in desperation Hailey takes a stab in the dark:
Hailey: “O Gods of hurricanes, makers of thunder and lightning and majestical waves. Useth your power to keep my mom from moving to Australia. Maketh her to see the error of her ways, and keepeth us in Baybridge!” [Grabs popcorn box, picks out a piece, and throws it over her shoulder] Hailey: “Ameneth.”
Claire: “You're insane.”
Agur similarly has his friends at a loss. (Prov. 30:4) “Who hath ascended up
into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists?
who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all
the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's
name, if thou canst tell?” Hailey didn't know the name of the
deity she addressed or its daughter's name at that point.
(Prov.
30:5-6) “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield
unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he
reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” Aquamarine wears
whispering starfish as accessories, of whom she says,
“Starfish may be huge suck ups. But they never lie.”
This movie will acquaint us with some low-hanging fruit, to avoid extremes of wealth or poverty. (Prov. 30:7) “Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:”
(Prov.
30:8-9) “Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me
neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I
be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”
Don't let it go to your head if you strike a jackpot.
Anyone who helps a mermaid gets a wish … for
anything as long as it doesn't violate the laws of
nature. Oddball Leonard (Bruce Spence) rescued her from a tank
and now we see him escorting the hamburger concession lady about
the place. Okay, things are looking up. Good for him. If the girls
wish for Hailey's mom to stay put, they've denied her the promotion
she had her heart set on, and that violates love, which is the
whole point of the story. And if they use their wish to help
Aquamarine, well, she's an older sister who can manager her
own affairs, so that would be squandering their wish. Can the
audience help them out?
Production Values
“” (2006) was directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum. Its screenplay was written by John Quaintance and Jessica Bendinger, derived from a novella by Alice Hoffman. It stars Emma Roberts, JoJo, and Sara Paxton. The girls had good friendship chemistry and the mermaid was alluring and wet.
MPA rated it PG for mild language and sensuality. The storm effects were awesome, as was the peek-a-boo fish woman. If you'll forgive the oxymoron, this movie had legs. Nevertheless, it's a chick flick, and a playful one at that. It includes a major shopping spree. Aquamarine's nails changed color with her mood, and once her dress. Runtime is 1 hour 50 minutes.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
The heathen “love gods” get diluted by the general silliness. A prayer was obviously faked. The girls did a lot of reading about boys, who aren't that hard to manipulate. Some serious considerations were gone over at the end.
This movie is targeted to young teens, but others should be able to abide a single viewing. No major objections.
Movie Ratings
Action Factor: Weak action scenes. Suitability for children: Suitable for children with guidance. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Good for Groups. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.
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