Susan Granger’s review of “Aquamarine” (20th Century-Fox)
Aimed at the same giddy, giggly audience who enjoyed “The Princess Diairies,” this is a frothy adolescent friendship tale that deals with drowning, rejection, self-awareness and conquering fear.
Set in Florida, it’s about two 13 year-old best buddies – Hailey (pop singer Joanna “JoJo” Levesque) and Claire (Emma Roberts from Nickelodeon’s “Unfabulous”) – who spend one last summer together before Hailey moves with her marine-biologist mother to Australia. After a violent storm, the girls find a sassy, swim-away mermaid named Aqua (Sara Paxton from “Darcy’s Wild Life”) in the pool. With wide-eyed naivetŽ, Aqua yearns to find a surface-dwelling man, not just some arrogant merman chosen by her father. So she promises to grant the girls one wish if they help her prove that true love isn’t a myth by getting the hunky local lifeguard (Jake McDorman) to say he loves her -within three days. The teens cheerfully high-five each other, thinking all their problems will be solved, not realizing that obnoxious, unscrupulous Cecilia (Arielle Kebble) has her eye on the lifeguard too.
Much like the Alice Hoffman young adult novel on which it’s based, it’s fast-paced, finny fun, reminiscent of Darryl Hannah’s “Splash” (1984). Aqua grows legs during the day that are replaced by a fishtail at sundown – or if her legs get wet. She also wears live starfish as earrings – they whisper into her shell-pink ears – plus, her pink-centric fingernail color changes to reflect her emotions. First-time feature director Elizabeth Allen and screenwriters John Quaintance (“Material Girls”) and Jessica Bendinger (“Bring It On”) keep everything swimming along. And if Emma Roberts looks familiar, think of aunt Julia. On the Granger Movie Gauge, “Aquamarine” is an amusing, sweet ‘n’ spunky 7 – if you’re a “tween.” If you’re older, this may be too soggy and sappy for you.
