Aquamarine (film)

''Aquamarine'' is a 2006 American teen fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Elizabeth Allen, loosely based on the 2001 young adult novel of the same name by Alice Hoffman. It stars Emma Roberts, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque, and Sara Paxton. The film was released in the United States on March 3, 2006, by 20th Century Fox.

Plot

Best friends Claire and Hailey are enjoying their last few days of summer vacation in their small beach town of Baybridge, near Tampa, before Hailey moves to Australia due to her mother's job as a marine biologist. Hailey prays to the ocean god for a miracle to make her mother change her mind about moving; minutes later, a violent storm occurs.

The next night, the girls sneak into the local pool, where they discover a mermaid named Aquamarine, who was washed in by the storm. Aquamarine befriends the girls and explains that she ran away from home because she had been forced into an arranged marriage. To end the engagement, Aquamarine must to prove to her father that true love exists.

Aquamarine (who is able to change her tail into legs during the day as long as they do not get wet) has set her eyes on Raymond, the lifeguard Hailey and Claire have had a crush on for years. They are reluctant to help her woo Raymond, but when Aquamarine explains that anyone who helps a mermaid is granted a wish, they agree, hoping they can prevent Hailey from moving.

As Aquamarine is not human, she does not understand how love works and is rejected by Raymond when they first meet. The girls promise to make Raymond fall in love with her in the next three days, using strategies found in teen magazines. But a group of popular girls headed by Cecilia, the local meteorologist's spoiled daughter who is also interested in Raymond, gets in the way.

Aquamarine and Raymond bond at a local dance but she is forced to leave since her legs turn into a tail at sunset. Before departing, she kisses him and asks him to meet her on the pier in the morning. Cecilia follows the three girls to the water tower where Aquamarine is staying, and discovers her secret. She unhooks the ladder to prevent Aquamarine from getting down and calls the news so she can expose her on national television. But the town's mysterious handyman helps Aquamarine escape and she grants him a wish. Cecilia's father confiscates her car as punishment for embarrassing the family on national television.

The next morning, Aquamarine asks Raymond if he loves her. Raymond says he likes her but has not fallen in love with her yet, since they have been on only one date, and that he wants to get there with her slowly. Aquamarine is heartbroken. Cecilia interrupts and pushes her into the ocean, where Aquamarine turns back into a mermaid. Raymond is shocked but rushes to get his rescue board to save her, much to Cecilia's dismay.

Aquamarine's father summons a giant storm, dragging Aquamarine back homeward, but Hailey and Claire jump into the ocean to her aid. When Aquamarine asks why, they respond that they love her. The power of the girls' friendship finally convinces Aquamarine's father of true love's existence and the storm abates. The girls receive their wish but decide to not use it to keep Hailey from moving away, because her mother worked hard for the job in Australia. Instead, they save the wish and say goodbye to Aquamarine, who promises to visit. Raymond also asks her to visit him and they kiss. Back on shore, Raymond thanks the girls for their bravery and for introducing him to Aquamarine. Hailey and Claire tell each other they will miss each other and part ways.

In the stage booklet, it is revealed that Claire, Raymond, and Aquamarine meet up with Hailey in Australia a year later and explore the Great Barrier Reef together.

Cast

* Sara Paxton as Aquamarine
* Emma Roberts as Claire Brown
* JoJo as Hailey Rogers
* Jake McDorman as Raymond
* Arielle Kebbel as Cecilia Banks
* Claudia Karvan as Ginny Rogers
* Bruce Spence as Leonard
* Tammin Sursok as Marjorie
* Roy Billing as Bob Brown
* Julia Blake as Maggie Brown
* Shaun Micallef as Storm Banks
* Lulu McClatchy as Bonnie
* Natasha Cunningham as Patty
* Dichen Lachman as Beth
* Lincoln Lewis as Theo
* Alice Hunter as Beach Girl
* Benjamin Shields as Beach Boy

Voices

* Sara Paxton as Aquamarine's starfish earrings
* Emma Roberts as Claire's starfish earrings
* JoJo as Hailey's starfish earrings

Production

Principal photography for the movie began in Australia in February 2005, and wrapped up the following April.

Home media

The film was released on DVD on June 13, 2006, and on Blu-ray on March 6, 2012.

Reception

Box office

In its opening weekend, ''Aquamarine'' grossed $7.5 million in 2,512 theaters, ranking #5 at the box office. By the end of its run, the film grossed $18.6 million domestically, and $4.4 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $23 million.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 51% based on reviews from 88 critics, with an average rating of 5.44/10. The site's consensus states: "A lighthearted, gum-smacking, boy-crazy film with a hopeful message for young girls." On Metacritic, ''Aquamarine'' has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 27 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A−" on scale of A to F.

Michael Rechtshaffen of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' called ''Aquamarine'' a "bright and breezy tween fantasy romantic comedy that coasts along on its charming performances and the light comedic touch of first-time feature director Elizabeth Allen." ''Variety'''s Joe Leydon praised the film, writing, "The high-concept premise ... has been fleshed out with inventive wit, unsticky warmth and more than a little wackiness. Result is an unusually likeable family-friendly comedy that could appeal far beyond its target udience.

Numerous critics praised the film's themes and message. Grading the film a "B−", Chris Kaltenbach of ''The Baltimore Sun'' liked how "''Aquamarine'' exhibits a welcome empathy for adolescent girls and an understanding of how they interact" while teaching the difference between "what is important (friendship, self-confidence, altruism) and what seems important (puppy love, trendiness, running with the pack)." Describing ''Aquamarine'' as engendering a "vision of cherished sisterhood", Callie Ahlgrim of ''Insider'' wrote that the film "is a rom-com insofar as it tells a boy-meets-girl story—but the deeper, more honest love between its young female leads is the film's true emotional core." Wesley Morris of ''The Boston Globe'' wrote that ''Aquamarine'' "is unique because it's the rare movie that fiercely respects the altruistic loyalty that bonds girls to one another." Ruthe Stein of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' found that while the film "has a sweetness and innocence that makes it near perfect entertainment for its target audience", ''Aquamarine'' "avoids seeming coy and doesn't flinch from taking on serious issues that illustrate that life isn't all fluff even for the young." Rating the film 3 out of 5 stars, Roger Moore of the ''Orlando Sentinel'' wrote, "''Aquamarine'' really is just an adorable movie. And along the way, life lessons about love, friendship, adjusting to bad news and overcoming grief are passed along in a not-that-obvious fashion." Rating it 3 out of 4 stars, Todd Hertz of ''Christianity Today'' wrote, "The movie scores a major victory in reaching its audience with the all-too-important message that they are fine just the way they are."

Other critics were less positive. Carrie Rickey of ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' wrote, "Like its title character, Allen's choppy and inconsistent film has two speeds, ditsy or sentimental, and never gathers momentum." Reviewing ''Aquamarine'' for the BBC
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