Movie · 1990 · Comedy, Drama, Romance · 1h 50m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 2.5/10 (40.8K ratings)
Mom is many things... normal isn't one of them.
Overview
Fifteen-year-old Charlotte Flax is tired of her wacky mom moving their family to a different town any time she feels it is necessary. When they move to a small Massachusetts town and Mrs. Flax begins dating a shopkeeper, Charlotte and her 9-year-old sister, Kate, hope that they can finally settle down. But when Charlotte's attraction to an older man gets in the way, the family must learn to accept each other for who they truly are.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.5/10
IMDb: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 71%
Metacritic: 56
TMDB: 6.7/10
Director
Richard Benjamin
Production
Orion Pictures
Cast
Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder, Michael Schoeffling, Christina Ricci, Caroline McWilliams, Jan Miner, Betsy Townsend, Richard McElvain, Paula Plum, Dossy Peabody, William Paul Steele, Rex Trailer, Peter Kovner, Patricia Madden, Justin Marchisio, Caitlin Marie Bottomley, Amy Gollnick, Seacia Pavao, Merle Perkins
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A warm, offbeat coming-of-age dramedy with a strong trio of performances, especially Cher and Winona Ryder. Its mix of family chaos, adolescent longing, and small-town texture gives it a distinct early-90s charm, even when the tonal shifts get messy.
Best for
fans of quirky mother-daughter stories
viewers who like bittersweet teen dramas
people drawn to strong 1990s character acting
audiences who enjoy messy but affectionate family comedies
Skip if
you want a tightly plotted romance
you dislike tonal swings between comedy and melancholy
you prefer subtle, understated filmmaking
you are sensitive to uncomfortable age-gap attraction plots
Overview
Mermaids is a scrappy, emotionally mixed family dramedy that lives on personality. Cher gives the movie its voltage as a glamorous, impulsive mother trying to keep life moving, while Winona Ryder grounds it with wounded teenage intensity. Christina Ricci adds a sharp comic edge that helps the family feel lived-in rather than neatly written.
Top Letterboxd reviews
mia lee vicino (4★) · 6901 likes
“Oh, I’m gonna burn in hell for sure. He’s talking about his poor dead mother and I can’t stop wishing his hands were unbuttoning my dress.”
monique 🕵🏼♀️ (4.5★) · 6594 likes
cher, winona ryder, and christina ricci as a family? the coven is complete!!!!
Sally Jane Black (5★) · 4438 likes
All movies should include Winona Ryder's internal monologue.
1994 · Comedy, Drama, Romance · 1h 46m · R · Curator 4.7/10 (45.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Paramount Plus Essential, Netflix Standard with Ads
A funny-sad portrait of a misfit young woman searching for belonging and self-worth.