AQUAMARINE

by Jane Louise Boursaw

Rated PG for mild language and sensuality. Ok for kids 8+. Released in theaters March 3, 2006. 4 out of 4 Reels.

Should you bring the kids? This movie is perfect for girls aged 8 to 14, but even this 45-year-old mom loved it (it made me weepy, in a good way). For more on particular age groups, see "Bringing the Kids" below.

THE STORY: 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 clutzy 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 – of course, they wish desperately to stay together. But is that really the best thing?

THE WRAP-UP: 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. You're never quite sure where the movie is going, and the ending is completely unexpected and charming. Anyone with a romantic heart will get goosebumps over this sweet story mixed with bits of magic and melancholy.

PG Notes: When Aquamarine comes ashore, she's naked, but carefully arranged hair keeps her covered up. A few times, the girls exclaim, "God!", and there is one moderate profanity. Claire briefly discusses her lack of cleavage, and there's plenty of fawning over boys at the beach. There are lots of bikinis at the beach, but the main characters wear more modest clothes. Also, Claire and Hailey help Aquamarine learn everything they know about relationships by reading a stack of teen magazines. You might want to tell your girls they won't find all the answers there!

BRINGING THE KIDS:

PRESCHOOLERS (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, not only for little ones, so pop in "The Little Mermaid" DVD and give your youngsters a dose of mermaid magic.

GRADE-SCHOOLERS (ages 6 - 10): This movie is geared for pre-teen and tween girls. In fact, I can just picture my 8-year-old daughter and her friends dreaming up this story in between writing poems and talking on the phone. It's a sweet story about the magic of friendship and first love that will bring a smile to even us "older" girls. And if you haven't yet read the book by Alice Hoffman, I highly recommend it for girls of all ages.

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 scenarios tweens and teens will identify with: 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 fab soundtrack with songs by Cheyenne Kimball, Nikki Flores, Sara Paxton, Emma Roberts, Courtney Jave, and others.

SCORE: 4 out of 4 Reels.

Jane's Reel Rating System:

One Reel – Pathetic. Even The Force can’t save it.

Two Reels – Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.

Three Reels – Thought-provoking. Something to talk about.

Four Reels – Wow! The stuff dreams are made of.

E-chat with me at jane@reellifewithjane.com - I LOVE to talk about movies!

Read my other reviews here.