Splash

Twenty years ago, Tom Hanks wasn't Big yet, Daryl Hannah had just gotten her feet wet in movies, and Ron Howard still had hair. The charming 1984 romantic comedy Splash put them all on the Hollywood map. Hanks and Hannah get along swimmingly as the mismatched couple: he, a lovelorn, just-jilted man, and she, a mermaid who makes waves when she saves his life and follows him onto dry land. In addition to the film's surface charms, it further benefits today from its "before-they-were stars" undercurrent. Boasting a decent if not spectacular DVD transfer, this “20th Anniversary Edition” also includes a good-natured audio commentary with Howard, his longtime producer Brian Grazer, and screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel; the retrospective documentary “Making a Splash," featuring warm and hilarious reminiscences by cast and crew; and Hanks' and Hannah's screen tests. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)