Aquamarine

In director Elizabeth Allen's prepubescent variation on Splash, based on the novel by Alice Hoffman, the lives of a couple of 13-year-old Florida beach girls—who spend most of the summer ogling a handsome lifeguard from afar—are magically changed when a storm washes ashore a wish-granting mermaid named Aquamarine (Sara Paxton). Aqua, who has fled an arranged marriage and hopes to find love with a human (shades of The Little Mermaid) in order to convince her father to cancel the nuptials, falls for the lifeguard, and the girls put aside their own infatuations to help the pair get together in spite of the machinations of the local shrew. While Aquamarine teaches life lessons in a language that will appeal to ‘tween girls, others may feel like they're trapped in a live-action version of Teen Beat magazine. In fact, by the time all of the adolescent giggles, puppy-love infatuations, catty-girl shenanigans, beach beefcake, and best-friend traumas (not to mention the obligatory fishtail gags and aquatic effects) have come to a close, the viewer feels as exhausted as a parent accompanying a younger daughter and friends for an afternoon at the mall. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include both widescreen and full screen versions, a brief intro by director Elizabeth Allen, audio commentary by Allen and producer Susan Cartsonis, a handful of behind-the-scenes featurettes, including “Awesome Auditions,” “Building the Capri Club,” “Mermaid Makeover,” “It's All About the Fashion,” “Aqua's Seals,” and “Kickin' it On Set” (25 min. total), seven scene-specific cast commentaries (21 min.), six deleted scenes (5 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a so-so film.] (F. Swietek)