 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Aquamarine
- Review Date: June 11, 2006
- PG
- Genre: Comedy
- 2006
Common Sense Media says
Girls and a mermaid learn about love. Charming.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the film concerns a mermaid's search for "love" among humans, and the comedy involves teenaged flirting, sexual tensions, and giddy girl behavior. Mermaid wears tight outfits, audacious girls appear in bikinis, and the "good girls" dress like tomboys. Girls read teen magazines about how to attract boys, the favorite boy is objectified in slow motion (reference to typical objectification of girls). Characters discuss sex and bodies (breasts, implants) and use mild profanity. Tense family situations include discussion of a girl's parents' drowning, another girl's parents' divorce, and an upcoming move, threatening to split up the girls' friendship. Very brief scare scene during a rainstorm.
What's the story?
AQUAMARINE focuses on two smart, mostly sensible 13-year-olds at the end of their last summer together. Claire (Emma Roberts), who lives at a small Florida resort with her grandparents, and Hailey (pop singer Joanna "JoJo" Levesque) are discovering the joys of boys, or at least the idea of boys. They've read the magazines and memorized the instructions on how to attract a boy, but they're also daunted by their rivals, slightly older girls in makeup and bikinis. They're also distracted by two major developments: one, Hailey's mother has a new job in Australia, which means the girls will be split up at summer's end. And two, they find a mermaid in a swimming pool. This would be Aquamarine (Sara Paxton), running away from an arranged marriage. Determined to prove the existence of love (and so, avoid her father's plans), Aquamarine pursues Raymond (Jake McDorman, who shows a gift for physical comedy and making faces), the very pretty lifeguard on whom Hailey has a crush. The girls and mermaid cut a deal: if, in three days, Aqua can get Ray to say he loves her, she avoids a loveless wedding and will grant the girls a wish.
Is it any good?
The movie adapts mermaid rules from Splash (Aqua can grow legs during the day, but her fishtail comes back at sundown or if her legs get wet), in order to set up absurd situations (as Aqua and Ray are flirting, she has to run away as soon as the sun turns orange). As well, Aqua's "otherness" is marked by her naïve childishness, combined with physical oddities (fingernails that change color to show her emotions, live starfish she wears as earrings and who whisper in her ear that she's "smart" and "beautiful"), and a sensual maturity (Ray is quite smitten as soon as he sees her, though perplexed by her strange behavior).
True, the film leans too heavily on its "villain," the wealthy Cecilia (Arielle Kebble), to amp up the dramatic tension (as she competes for Ray's attention by lying and cheating). And true, Aqua is not so charming as the human girls, especially Roberts as Claire, who is convincing and adorable. But for all the narrative awkwardness and abuses heaped on Cecilia, the film comes up with a terrific ending, underlining the importance of the girls' friendship (including their new friendship with Aqua) over romance.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the girls' friendship. How do Claire and Hailey help each other cope with extraordinary trauma and ordinary "growing pains"? How does their relationship change as they compete for boys' attention? How do they deal with Hailey's imminent move to Australia?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Its OK. The only bad things in it i can think of are the "B Word" and that mermaids don't wear anything "up top" and Aquas hair covers her chest. Some younger kids may not get the teenage dating.
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Kid, 11 years old
May 2, 2011
AGE
Love is in the air
The movie is great! its all about a mermaid who wants to find love! there is nothing wrong but it should be 9 and up because younger kids may not understand!
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Kid, 12 years old
August 24, 2010
AGE
pretty good movie
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AGE
good for kids ages 9 and up
i saw this movie when i was 10, and i loved it!!! even though it had a bad word and other stuff, it's ok for fairly young kids.
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AGE
Aquamarine Gets the Blue Ribbon From Us !
This is an adorable film that little girls will love! My daughter and I saw it when she was about 7 - and we now own the DVD and watch it at least once a year. The main characters are sweet - the setting is charming - and the ending sends a wonderful message to girls. A win-win-win!! :)
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AGE
luved it : - )
i luved aquamarine! it was a really awsome movie!
there is a little bit of flirting and some bad language.
but other than that it's a fantastic movie. a must for tweens and teens!
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AGE
Review of Aquamarine and why parents should let their kids watch it.
I think Aquamarine is a movie mainly girls would enjoy since it is about two girls trying to get Aquamarine who is a mermaid go on a date with Raymond who the two girls Hailey and Claire had a crush on for the longest time and hung out with Raymond every day of the summer. No went to the pool except for Hailey and Claire because it was too hot for anybody to be at the pool. "I personally don't know how it could be too hot to be a a pool with water and beable to swim to cool off." I watched Aquamarine and loved it!!! I thought it was kind of romantic in some ways.. I recommend you "parents" to rent or buy this movie for your girls today.. Its not that bad, not any bad language or bad gestures.. I think anybody could watch this movie.
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AGE
Rampant consumerism
I was shocked to see in the review that consumerism wasn't one of the concerns with this movie. Fashion/teen magazines aren't exactly what I'd want my 10 year old to be reading. Both females and males are constantly in swimsuits and revealing attire. To top it off, the acting isn't very good and the storyline is rather weak. Some of the special effects are good, but most are mediocre. You're not missing much if you skip it.
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| Topics: | friendship |
| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Director: | Elizabeth Allen |
| Cast: | Arielle Kebbel, Emma Roberts, Sara Paxton |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 109 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | March 3, 2006 |
| DVD release date: | June 13, 2006 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | mild language and sensuality. |
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