This one of Tom Hanks' earlier movies, where he stars as Allen Bauer who is looking for true love, and finds it in Madison (Daryl Hannah) whom, unbeknown-st to him, is a mermaid.The romance and chemistry between Allen and Madison are pretty heartfelt and touching, with Allen looking to balance his busy work life and finding a companion to Madison adjusting to life in the city. Her only have seven days to remain in the human world before she returns to the sea serve as a pretty suspenseful backdrop to the story.Not bad acting from Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah, with a steady-paced plot that can be both dramatic and funny. John Candy delivered some humor, though I've found his character a little annoying at times, as well as Eugene Levy. I don't know if filmmakers think actors being overly zealous, frustrated or excited define good acting, because that is exactly what Levy does for much of the movie. He screamed a lot and acted frustrated with everyone he encountered, which I thought was excruciatingly annoying and irritating and brought down the movie. Fortunately, his character was a little redeeming toward the second half of the story.Overall, it's a not a bad classic '80s tale that is good for some mild laughs and romance.Grade B-

Before Tom Hanks became known for his dramatic turns, he used to be a funnyman and a successful one at that as shown in the 1980's. Splash is one of his early films and it showcases his talent. This is also an early directorial effort by Ron Howard and it is a very good one. As a romantic comedy, one may have to suspend disbelief because of the far-fletched plot. But the film itself is very likable and funny. It will endear to nearly everyone, especially fans of Tom Hanks.Howard's film is about a Manhattan bachelor named Allen Bauer who falls in love with a mermaid from Cape Cod and when their romance is made public, they must fight to save the mermaid's existence......and their love.This is Tom Hanks at his funniest. He is a really funny guy, and the film proves that. He makes many jokes and even is adept at physical humor. However, he does show a very sentimental side which comes very useful in the film. Daryl Hannah does a good job as the mermaid, even if she does learn the entire language of English in six hours. Eugene Levy was fantastic as the man trying to prove the urban legend is real. Finally, as always, John Candy is pathetically dumb but really funny and sweet-hearted in the film.Overall, Splash is a very endearing rom-com and it is a different style from what we are used to seeing with these kind of films and that is fine with me. It may not be entirely believable, but the film is about how love can find anyone, even the working man. This is a very good film and from what I see, not many people have seen this film, at least my generation hasn't. I rate this film 9/10.

Tom Hanks breaks out in this light, charming, modestly funny fish-out-of-water comedy (har har) about a man's lifelong encounters with a lustily enamored mermaid. It can be tremendously naive at times, and the plot is about as telegraphed as they come, but there's something intangible about this picture that manages to gloss over many of those shortcomings. The central performance of Hanks is key, working as the plucky everyman he'd embody in most of his early repertoire, though this time it's dosed with a few fits of sharply possessive, unsettling anger. Maybe those shades just look bad in retrospect, as the film's a full generation old now, but it's tough not to cringe at such puzzling spots in the modern climate. I think the humor falls into a similar trap, in that it was probably more relevant at the time than it is today. A handful of comedies from the same era still serve as timeless examples of great humor (Ghostbusters, also released in 1984, springs to mind), and though a few of its gags and one-liners still connect, Splash isn't even in that ballpark after thirty years on the shelf. Hanks's easy rapport with John Candy is worth celebrating, though, and Daryl Hannah is positively breathtaking as the sweet, innocent fish-tailed beauty at the center of all the action. Simple, straight entertainment that's beginning to fade as it grows older.

This is a true "fish-out-of-water" comedy and one of my favorites. It is a good example of perfect casting (especially Darryl Hannah as the mermaid and John Candy as the lovingly in-the-way brother) and a cast working well together. It is one of my two favorite mermaid movies along with Aquamarine. It starts off with Tom Hanks's character as a young boy being rescued from drowning by Hannah's character at the same age. It picks up later at the time the movie was set in New York City. Hanks is a busybody who runs into the mermaid again, except he doesn't recognize her (would you?, and he falls in love with her.My favorite scenes are the Statue of Liberty scene, the department store scene with the TV sets and where she learns English, and where Eugene Levy is spraying the wrong people with water trying to prove that she's a mermaid.This is a must for anybody who loves comedy and a movie with Tom Hanks, Darryl Hannah, and/or John Candy in it. A movie with those actors in it can't be that bad in it, and this is GREAT. I loved it and you will too.*** 1/2 out of ****