Aquamarine (film)

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Aquamarine
Aquamarine (poster).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byElizabeth Allen
Screenplay by
Based onAquamarine
by Alice Hoffman
Produced bySusan Cartsonis
Starring
CinematographyBrian Breheny
Edited byJane Moran
Music byDavid Hirschfelder
Production
company
Storefront Pictures
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • February 26, 2006 (2006-02-26) (Los Angeles)
  • March 3, 2006 (2006-03-03) (United States)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States[1][2]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$12 million[3]
Box office$23 million[3]

Aquamarine is a 2006 American fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Elizabeth Allen, loosely based on the 2001 young adult novel of the same name by Alice Hoffman. It stars Emma Roberts, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque, and Sara Paxton. The film was released in the United States on March 3, 2006, by 20th Century Fox.

Plot[]

Best friends Claire and Hailey are enjoying their last few days of summer vacation together in their small beach town of Baybridge, near Tampa, before Hailey moves to Australia due to her mother's job as a marine biologist. Hailey prays to the ocean god for a miracle to make her mother change her mind about moving; minutes later, a violent storm occurs.

The next night, the girls sneak into the local pool where they discover a mermaid named Aquamarine, who was washed in by the storm. Aquamarine befriends the girls and explains that she ran away from home due to being forced into an arranged marriage. In order to end the engagement, Aquamarine must to prove to her father that true love exists.

Aquamarine (who is able to change her tail into legs during the day as long as she does not get wet) has set her eyes on Raymond, the lifeguard Hailey and Claire have had a crush on for years. They are reluctant but when Aquamarine explains you get a wish if you help a mermaid, they agree, hoping they can prevent Hailey from moving.

As Aquamarine is not human, she does not understand how love works and is rejected by Raymond when they first meet. The girls promise to make Raymond fall in love with her in the next three days, using strategies found in teen magazines. However, a group of popular girls headed by Cecilia, the spoiled daughter of the local meteorologist also interested in Raymond, gets in the way.

Aquamarine and Raymond bond at a local dance but she is forced to leave since she transforms back at sunset. Before departing, she kisses him and asks him to meet her on the pier in the morning. Cecilia follows the three girls to the water tower where Aquamarine is staying, and discovers her secret. She unhooks the ladder to prevent Aquamarine from getting down and calls the news so she can expose her on national television. However, the town's mysterious handyman helps Aquamarine escape and she grants him a wish. Cecilia’s father confiscates her car as punishment for embarrassing the family on national television.

The next morning, Aquamarine asks Raymond if he loves her. Raymond admits that he likes her but has not fallen in love with her yet as they have only been on one date, and that he wants to get there with her slowly. Aquamarine is heartbroken, when Cecilia interrupts and pushes her into the ocean, where Aquamarine turns back into a mermaid. Raymond is shocked but rushes to get his rescue board to save her, much to Cecilia's dismay.

Aquamarine's father summons a giant storm, dragging Aquamarine back homeward, but Hailey and Claire jump into the ocean to her aid. When Aquamarine asks why, they respond that they love her. The power of the girls' friendship finally convinces Aquamarine's father of true love's existence and the storm abates. The girls receive their wish but decide to not use it to keep Hailey from moving away as her mother worked hard for it. Instead, they save the wish and say goodbye to Aquamarine, who promises to visit. Raymond asks her to visit him as well and they kiss. Back on shore, Raymond thanks the girls for their bravery and for introducing him to Aquamarine. Hailey and Claire tell each other they will miss one another and part ways.

In the stage booklet, it is revealed that a year later Claire, Raymond, and Aquamarine meet up with Hailey in Australia exploring the great barrier reef together.

Cast[]

Voices[]

  • Sara Paxton as Aquamarine's Starfish Earrings
  • Emma Roberts as Claire Brown's Starfish Earrings
  • JoJo as Hailey Rogers' Starfish Earrings

Production[]

Principal photography for the movie began in Australia in February 2005,[4] and wrapped up the following April.

Home media[]

The film was released on DVD on June 13, 2006, and on Blu-ray on March 6, 2012.

Reception[]

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 51% based on reviews from 89 critics, with an average rating of 5.44/10. The site's consensus states: "A lighthearted, gum-smacking, boy-crazy film with a hopeful message for young girls."[5] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 27 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[6] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "A-" on scale of A to F.[7]

Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter called it "A bright and breezy tween fantasy romantic comedy that coasts along on its charming performances and the light comedic touch of first-time feature director Elizabeth Allen."[8] Variety's Joe Leydon praised the film saying it was an "unusually likeable family-friendly comedy that could appeal far beyond its target [audience]".[9]

Box office[]

In its opening weekend, Aquamarine grossed $7.5 million in 2,512 theaters, ranking #5 at the box office. By the end of its run, the film grossed $18.6 million domestically, and $4.4 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $23 million.[3]

Accolades[]

Year Result Award Category Recipients
2006 Nominated Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie: Chick Flick
Choice Movie Breakout Star – Female JoJo
2007 Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards Fave Movie Star Emma Roberts
Won Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actress
Nominated JoJo
Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress Sara Paxton

Soundtrack[]

Aquamarine
Soundtrack album by
various artists
ReleasedFebruary 21, 2006[10]
Genre
Label
  • Epic
  • Sony BMG
  • Sony Music Soundtrax
  • Fox
  1. "One Original Thing" – Cheyenne Kimball
  2. "Strike" – Nikki Flores
  3. "Connected" – Sara Paxton
  4. "Gentlemen" – Teddy Geiger
  5. "One and Only" – Teitur
  6. "Island in the Sun" – Emma Roberts
  7. "Time for Me to Fly" – Jonas Brothers
  8. "Can't Behave" – Courtney Jaye
  9. "Summertime Guys" – Nikki Cleary
  10. "One Way or Another" – Mandy Moore
  11. "Sweet Troubled Soul" – Stellastarr
  12. "I Like the Way" – Bodyrockers

Two of the film's main stars, Emma Roberts and Sara Paxton, were featured on the soundtrack. In 2008, La La Land Records released a limited edition CD (1000 pressings) of David Hirschfelder's score (incorporating the voice of Paxton) for the film.

  1. "Main Titles"
  2. "The Storm"
  3. "Washed Ashore"
  4. "Claire Falls In"
  5. "Meeting Aqua"
  6. "The Next Morning/Shell Phone Call"
  7. "Making the Deal"
  8. "Ray & Aqua/Magazines"
  9. "Paddleboat Date"
  10. "The Water Tower"
  11. "Hailey Rides the Dolphins"
  12. "Aqua's Decision"
  13. "First Kiss"
  14. "Cecilia Climbs the Tower"
  15. "Hailey and Claire Argue"
  16. "The Pier/Storm/The Buoy"
  17. "The Tear/Goodbyes"
  18. "Finale"
Other songs featured in the film[11]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Aquamarine (2006)". American Film Institute. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  2. ^ "Aquamarine (2006)". British Film Institute. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Aquamarine (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  4. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer. "JoJo Says She's No Lindsay Lohan, Scrambles To Ready Herself For 'Aquamarine'". MTV News. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  5. ^ Aquamarine at Rotten Tomatoes
  6. ^ Aquamarine at Metacritic
  7. ^ "Cinemascore". Archived from the original on 2018-12-20. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
  8. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20060316102727/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/reviews/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002115112
  9. ^ Leydon, Joe (2 March 2006). "Aquamarine". Variety.
  10. ^ "Aquamarine (2006) - Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  11. ^ Aquamarine (2006) – Soundtrack (IMDb)

External links[]

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