Splash
SPLASH (PG)
D: Ron Howard
Buena Vista/Touchstone (Brian
Grazer)
US 1984
110 mins
Comedy/Fantasy
W: Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel &
Bruce Jay Friedman
DP: Don Peterman
Ed: Michael Hill & Daniel P.
Hanley
Mus: Lee Holdridge
Tom Hanks (Allen
Bauer), Daryl Hannah (Madison), John Candy (Freddie Bauer), Eugene Levy (Dr. Walter Kornbluth)
Is this the film that saved Disney? The studio
was suffering hardship in the early 1980's and with no new animated output they relied heavily on re-released classics to generate revenue. In fact, the very name 'Disney'
surprisingly found itself box office poison. The solution was to create production arm Touchstone, dealing with the studio's live action projects and "Splash!" was the first of
many. This comedy romance went on to make big waves at the 1984 box office and launched the career of Tom Hanks, who takes the lead as a lonely bachelor seeking love and finds the
perfect catch- the only problem is, she's a mermaid. The same mermaid who saved him from drowning when he was a young boy.
Funny in parts, sweet in others, it provided a
springboard for both Touchstone and Tom Hanks, who obviously went on to bigger and better things. For Daryl Hannah, this was her finest hour. A role her career never
bettered.
For those who've not seen it. Take the bait.
Catch it now.
7/10
