Mermaids

A mother who moves constantly settles with her two daughters in Massachusetts in the early nineteen-sixties. The elder girl wants to become a Catholic; the mother does not want to commit to anything. The film builds the fight between adolescence and motherhood on one thing: the daughter cannot decide whether she wants a life different from her mother's. The narrative runs on comedy while the tension stays real to the end. Cher and Winona Ryder lead, with Bob Hoskins in support. It is adapted from a novel; Richard Benjamin directed. Who it's for: those who like period comedy built on a mother and daughter. Who it's not for: viewers wanting a serious portrait of the era; the film uses the sixties as background, not subject.