Aquamarine: Critic Reviews

A filmy pool of tropes and tchotchkes stereotypically associated with Girls of Today.

In this sweet comedy for the crowd that has outgrown The Little Mermaid, two likable pals try to help a mermaid find love and learn how to use her feet properly.

Aquamarine rises above the flotsam filling theaters this time of year with a likable tale of friendship and charming performances.

Aquamarine is better than nothing for its woefully underserved audience.

Girls will know Aquamarine is unique because it's the rare movie that fiercely respects the altruistic loyalty that bonds girls to one another.

This movie, in fact, is all about conformity.

Bouncy and sweet, Aquamarine has a mild feminist bent that's played for laughs, but it's definitely a movie for the shallow end of the pool.

Aquamarine won't make the splash of Splash, but bless its little flippers, it tries.

The plot is predictable, the emotions are obvious, and the mermaid reminds me of my friend McHugh explaining why lobsters make ideal pets: They don't bark, and they know the secrets of the deep.

Like its title heroine, it's sparkly, pretty and flirty -- but often all wet.

Like its title character, Allen's choppy and inconsistent film has two speeds, ditsy or sentimental, and never gathers momentum.

The tweener romantic fantasy Aquamarine is likely to strike a chord with junior-high girls, but other demographics are apt to find this fish-out-of-water story a bit dry.

It's hopeful, it's healthy, it squeals in all the right places and it offers proof positive that being stuck up is a bad thing.

Think of Aquamarine as an eventful day at the marine park, with plenty of bubble gum to go around.

Sweet and sprightly in just the right measures, Aquamarine is one of the season's pleasant surprises.

This movie's no Little Mermaid and it doesn't make much of a Splash. But it's high-spirited, innocent fun.

Aquamarine really is just an adorable movie. And along the way, life lessons about love, friendship, adjusting to bad news and overcoming grief -- are passed along in a not-that-obvious fashion.

Aquamarine's modest charms make it an agreeable diversion for its intended demographic.

Both Roberts and Levesque are better known for their recording careers than their acting, and while they have regular-girl presence, their believability wavers greatly from scene to scene.

It's a solid recommendation for young girls and those unfortunate parents trapped into chaperone duty. For everyone else, especially those possessing a Y chromosome, there's not much of interest. But then, you weren't planning to see it anyway, were you?

Director Allen keeps the buoyant tone aloft at least until the third act, which gets a bit soggy in places, but she's obviously got a terrific rapport with her young actors.

Director Elizabeth Allen sets a nicely easy-breezy tone for Aquamarine, but her comic timing is sometimes shaky and she sadly cannot overcome the weaknesses of the script.