Synopsis
- Kristin:
In the 1984 romantic comedy Splash, Allen Bauer (played by Tom Hanks) falls for a mysterious woman named Madison (played by Daryl Hannah), unaware she is the mermaid who saved him from drowning twice—once as a boy and again as an adult. While she navigates NYC life, her secret is threatened by water, putting her in danger from a determined scientist, leading Allen to choose between his life on land and joining her in the ocean.
Actors & Crew
- Carole:
Tom Hanks: Thomas Jeffrey Hanks, who was born on July 9, 1956 in Concord, California. He is an American Actor and filmmaker. Tom Hanks
began his professional acting career in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1977 as a $45-a-week intern at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival (now Great Lakes Theater). Over three summers, he performed in repertory, built sets, and earned his Equity card. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles. He is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Hanks is ranked as the fourth highest grossing American film actors. His numerous awards include Academy awards, seven Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. He received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2002, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2014, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016 and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2020. Tom Hanks has appeared in a long list of movies including Splash, The Money Pit, Big, and A League of Their Own. He won two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Actor, playing a gay lawyer suffering from AIDS in the movie Philadelphia in 1993, then the title character in Forrest Gump in 1994. He has collaborated with Steven Spielberg, who we talked about last week, in five films including Saving Private Ryan, Catch me if you can, The Terminal, Bridge of Spies, and the Post along with three world war 2 themed mini series; Band of Brothers, The Pacific and Masters of the Air. He has frequently collaborated with directors Ron Howard, Nora Ephron and Robert Zemeckis.
Hanks had lead roles in Romantic comedies such as Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve got mail. And, dramas such as Apollo 13, The Green Mile, Cast Away, Road to Perdition, Cloud Atlas, and News of the World. He also lead biographical dramas like Charlie Wilson’s War, Captain Phillips, Saving Mr. Banks, Sully, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and Elvis. He played the title character in the “Robert Langdon” series and voiced Sheriff Woody in the Toy Story Franchise. Along with multiple roles in The Polar Express. Hanks directed and acted in That Thing you do! And Larry Crowne.
His breakthrough television role was a co-lead in Bosom Buddies. He has hosted Saturday Night Live ten times. He launched a production company, Playtone which produced various limited series and television movies like From the Earth to the Moon, Band of Brothers, John Adams, The Pacific, Game Change, and Olive Kitteridge. He made his Broadway debut in Nora Ephron’s Lucky Guy in 2013, earning him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination. Hanks is married to actress Rita Wilson and he has four children. We could go on and on about Tom Hanks but, we will leave it at this for now. Hanks frequently returns to Cleveland to visit, and his time here is considered the foundation of his career. He was 27 when this movie came out. He plays Allen in this film.
- Jeannine:
Daryl Hannah: was born December 3, 1960 in Chicago, Illinois. She is an American Actress, director, and environmental activist. She has acted in comedic and dramatic roles in more than a hundred film and television productions since the 1970’s. Hannah has appeared in films such as The Fury, Blade Runner, Summer Lovers, Splash, Roxanne, Wall Street, Steel Magnolias, Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Volume 2. And, in the Netflix series Sense8. Outside of acting, Hannah has directed and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Music Film. She is also noted for her environmental and social activism. Hannah created her own weekly video blog called DHLoveLIfe on sustainable solutions. Her home is built with all green materials and runs on solar power and she even drove a car that ran on biodiesel. She has been a vegetarian since the age of 11 and later became a vegan. On June 13, 2006, Hannah was arrested, along with actor Taran Noah Smith for her involvement with over 350 farmers, their families and supporters confronting authorities trying to bulldoze the largest urban farm in the U.S. located in South Central Los Angeles. She chained herself to a walnut tree at the farm for three weeks to protest against the farmers eviction by the property owner. The farm was established in the wake of the 1992 LA riots to allow people in the city to grow food for themselves. The owner of the land wanted to sell it to build a warehouse. The sale price was $16 million dollars and when activists came up with the money, he turned down the offer. She told reporters it was the “right thing to do”. She was released after several hours. She has been part of many activism protests and marches including a protest against mountaintop removal in West Virginia. She participated in a protest against the Keystone oil pipeline in front of the White House. She has worked to help end sexual slavery. She endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for president in 2016. She is a member of the World Future Council and a patron of the Gorilla Organization, a charity working to protect mountain gorillas. She was among the numerous women who brought sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Hannah is married to musician Neil Young. Her advocacy participation list is quite lengthy and we could go on and on about how amazing of a human being she is but, we will let you look all of that up when you have time. Hannah was 22 years old when this movie came out. She plays Madison in this film.
- Kristin:
Eugene Levy: was born December 17, 1946 in Hamilton, Ontario. He is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for appearing in the sketch comedy series SCTV and the American Pie series of films. He also collaborated with actor-director Christopher Guest and appeared in and co-wrote four of his films, commencing with Waiting for Guffman. From 2015 to 2020 he starred as Johnny Rose in Schitt’s Creek, a comedy series that he co-created with his son and co-star Dan Levy. Levy is an advocate for autism awareness and treatment. Levy is married to Deborah Divine, and they have two children, Dan and Sarah who both starred alongside their father in Schitt’s Creek. In 2025, his home was destroyed in the Palisades Wildfire. Levy was 37 years old when this movie came out. He plays Dr. Walter Kornbluth in this film
- Carole:
John Candy: was born October 31, 1950 in Newmarket, Ontario and passed away on March 4, 1994. He was a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his work in Hollywood comedy films. He was a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and it’s comedy series Second City Television. He starred in roles in films such as Stripes, Splash, Brewster’s Millions, Summer Rental, Armed and Dangerous, Spaceballs, Planes Trains and Automobiles, The Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck, Who’s Harry Crumb and Cool Runnings. He also had supporting roles in The Blues Brothers, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Little Shop of Horrors, Home Alone, Nothing but Trouble, and Rookie of the Year. He died of a heart attack in 1994, at the age of 43 with his final two film appearances in Wagons East and Canadian Bacon which was dedicated to his memory. He was married to Rosemary Hobor and they had two children together, Jennifer and Christopher. He was 33 years old when this movie came out. He plays Freddie in this film.
Carole:
Budget/Box Office:
-Budget- $11 million
-Released March 9, 1984
-Box office- $69.8 million
Kristin: Splash was primarily filmed on location in New York City (Statue of Liberty, Bloomingdales, Central Park), the Bahamas (underwater sequences near Nassau) and Los Angeles (Biltmore Hotel). Key New York spots included 25 Tudor City Place Apartment and Columbus Circle. The production included roughly one month in New York, another month in Los Angeles, and two weeks in the Bahamas for underwater filming.
Carole:
Roger Ebert – of the Chicago Sun-Times
Rotten score.
1.5/4
It’s too bad the relentlessly conventional minds that made this movie couldn’t
have made the leap from sitcom to comedy.
Rita Kempley of The Washington Post
Splash, an aquacade of myth and laughter, glimmers like moonlit tide. It’s an enrapturing underwater romance pairing dry-lander Tom Hanks with mermaid Daryl Hannah (not an easy affair for a nonswimmer).
Ian Freer – of Empire Magazine
Fresh score.
4/5
The movie that really showed Tom Hanks’ promise as a deliverer of great comedy and heart-warming pathos.
Cringe Meter
