Movie · 1984 · Comedy, Romance, Fantasy · 1h 50m · PG · English
Curator score: 3.1/10 (157.7K ratings)
She was the woman of Allen's dreams. She had large dark eyes, a beautiful smile and a great pair of fins.
Overview
A successful businessman falls in love with the girl of his dreams. There's one big complication though; he's fallen hook, line and sinker for a mermaid.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.1/10
IMDb: 6.3/10
Letterboxd: 3.01/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Metacritic: 71
TMDB: 6.3/10
Director
Ron Howard
Production
Touchstone Pictures
Cast
Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, Eugene Levy, John Candy, Dody Goodman, Shecky Greene, Richard B. Shull, Bobby Di Cicco, Howard Morris, Tony DiBenedetto, Patrick Cronin, Charles Walker, David Knell, Jeff Doucette, Royce D. Applegate, Tony Longo, Nora Denney, Charles Macaulay, Ronald F. Hoiseck, Lou Tiano
Where to watch
Netflix, Disney Plus, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A breezy, high-concept romantic fantasy with a lot of 1980s charm, but it’s also dated in ways that can make the premise feel more awkward than whimsical. The chemistry and fish-out-of-water comedy still work, even if the movie’s gender politics and broad humor are very much of its era.
Best for
Viewers who like light fantasy romances
Fans of early Tom Hanks charm
People in the mood for a glossy, nostalgic 80s studio comedy
Audiences who enjoy oddball high-concept premises
Skip if
You’re sensitive to dated consent or gender dynamics
You want a more emotionally sophisticated romance
You dislike broad 80s comedy
You prefer fantasy films with stronger world-building
Overview
Splash is a very specific kind of studio movie: polished, playful, and built around a premise that is both absurd and sincerely romantic. Ron Howard keeps it moving with a clean, crowd-pleasing rhythm, and the film’s biggest asset is how earnestly it commits to the fairy-tale idea without ever pretending it isn’t ridiculous.
Worth noting
The movie’s appeal is mostly in the chemistry and the novelty. Tom Hanks is still in his early-career everyman mode, and Daryl Hannah gives the film its dreamy, uncanny center. The New York setting, the body-comedy beats, and the light touch of fantasy make it easy to watch, even when the script leans into broad jokes and some very dated attitudes.
Bottom line
What holds it back is also what dates it: the gender politics are messy, the humor can be crude, and the story’s romantic framing won’t land the same way for everyone today. Still, as a glossy, offbeat 80s rom-com with a genuinely memorable hook, it remains a worthwhile watch if you’re in the right mood.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Callie Smith (3★) · 825 likes
The Shape of Water for cowards
♡megan♡ (3.5★) · 645 likes
kind of iconic that madison knew nothing about being on land or with ppl but her first word was bloomingdale’s and she managed to take herself on a shopping trip
Holly-Beth (2.5★) · 580 likes
this was ridiculous...... but i'm gonna go crimp the living shit out of my hair if that's what it takes to get a young tam honks to fall in love with me
Madi (3★) · 527 likes
Whose idea was it to make the mermaid so damn horny 😭😭
tobias (: (3★) · 496 likes
Tom Hanks has sex with a mermaid who can’t speak a word of english. how is this on disney+ ?