Splash

"She was the woman of Allen's dreams. She had large dark eyes, a beautiful smile and a great pair of fins."

1984 1h 50m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 1,542

ComedyRomanceFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A successful businessman falls in love with the girl of his dreams. There's one big complication though; he's fallen hook, line and sinker for a mermaid.

“She was the woman of Allen's dreams. She had large dark eyes, a beautiful smile and a great pair of fins.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Tom Hanks
Allen Bauer
Daryl Hannah
Madison
Eugene Levy
Walter Kornbluth
John Candy
Freddie Bauer
Dody Goodman
Mrs. Stimler
Shecky Greene
Mr. Buyrite
Richard B. Shull
Dr. Ross
Bobby Di Cicco
Jerry

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ron Howard
Writers: Bruce Jay Friedman, Babaloo Mandel, Lowell Ganz
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 8.7× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

42 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Splash Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ron Howard, shot by Donald Peterman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Lee Holdridge. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Daniel P. Hanley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah and Eugene Levy carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "She was the woman of Allen's dreams. She had large dark eyes, a beautiful smile and a great pair of fins.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ron Howard directs. Donald Peterman behind the camera. Lee Holdridge scores. Daniel P. Hanley cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 8.7× over at the box office.
242 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Splash Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Ron Howard, shot by Donald Peterman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Lee Holdridge. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Daniel P. Hanley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah and Eugene Levy carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "She was the woman of Allen's dreams. She had large dark eyes, a beautiful smile and a great pair of fins.".
9IMDB entry: tt0088161 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Donald Peterman
Original score: Lee Holdridge
Editing: Daniel P. Hanley
Production design: Jack T. Collis
Costume design: May Routh
Makeup / hair: Robert J. Schiffer
VFX supervisor: Mitch Suskin
Sound: Richard Portman
Stunt coordinator: Edgard Mourino
Runtime: 110 min · 1h 50m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,000,000
Box office: $69,800,000
Return: 873% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Splash (1984)

Awards

National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay
Saturn Award for Best Actress

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Splash Collection

Splash is a 1984 American fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Ron Howard, written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, and starring Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, John Candy, Eugene Levy, and Dody Goodman. A sequel, Splash, Too (directed by Greg Antonacci), was a television film released in 1988 (contradicting the first movie's finale revelation that if Allen goes to live in the sea, he can never return) starring Todd Waring as Allen Bauer, Amy Yasbeck as Madison, and Donovan Scott as Freddie Bauer. Only one member of the original cast, Dody Goodman, the Bauers' slightly deranged assistant Mrs. Stimler, reprises her role.

Also by

Ron Howard

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Kamurai2020-09-21
★ 7/10
Really good watch, could watch again, and can recommend. Even after 25 years, this holds up, though a modernization is probably due soon. Hop in the way back machine and see some of the greats early on: Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, John Candy, and Eugene Levy. That team pretty much carries the movie and they go through a wonderful, fun-filled adventure into a mystery of a new girl in Allen's life. Honestly, you could probably cut out the mermaid bit and have her be a crazy foreign girl, though that sounds like a movie someone has made already. It being a mermaid movie definitely makes some allowances, and makes the movie more memorable. It adds in a metaphor of the importance of communication into the writing, and gives a focal point for the story to move around and become a focus in the 3rd act. As there is barely a direct antagonist in this, this sort of conflict is usually how a romantic comedy resolves. It's a fun watch, well made for it's time, and imagine most people, especially mermaid movie fans, will enjoy it.
CinemaSerf2024-01-01
★ 6/10
Twenty years earlier "Allen" (Tom Hanks) had a mysterious underwater encounter with a rescuer. Advance to present day and he is managing a fish market with his sibling "Freddie" (John Candy). Another trip to Cape Cod, another accident and yep, it's the same saviour - only this time their eyes meet over a choppy sea and shortly afterwards she follows him onto the land. It's lust/love at first sight and pretty soon she is living with him. She (Daryl Hannah) calls her self "Madison" after the avenue/president and after a day in Bloomingdale's television department picks up enough English to join in the rest of this rather slapstick movie - or to at last have a post-coital chat! Thing is, madcap scientist "Prof. Kornbluth" (Eugene Levy) is soon on her tail (!) and after chucking buckets of water at a similarly attired couple a few times, our lovebirds find themselves incarcerated in a lab where they are to be the subject of some nasty experiments. Can they escape the clutches of their captors and get her back to the open sea before six days expire and she finds herself stuck? The idea is quite fun and at the start when they are in their respective discovery phases, it's quite entertaining. It just repeats itself too often, though, and the presence of his annoyingly selfish brother just clutters it all up, gradually creating the look of a slightly farcical episode of the "A-Team". It's watchable but I didn't find there to be any chemistry between the stars - Hannah was never a particularly engaging actor, I found - and it's all rather forgettable.