OK, this movie starts out like a cheesy Lifetime movie and doesn't get better till almost well through the movie. The script is full of 'cheese' and 'fluff' and cast is not well directed for the most part. For the first half of the movie the little girl grated on my nerves. I do not think this is one of her best acting jobs. The only reason I bought the movie is because it was on sale and had Ellen Burstyn in it. She's terrific but this is also not one of her best acting gigs. The story is based on true events and that helps the movie. Actually, I didn't even like the movie at first and was getting disgusted when I saw stills of the balloon traveling, I mean..let it get where it's suppose to go and be done with it! But all is forgiven by the time it does reach it's destination and the story comes to a close. If this doesn't bring a tear to your eye, nothing will! It's cheesy and predictable but also makes you feel good about the world again.
20 Reviews
For what it is...
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews12 December 2009
I didn't know the real events when I sat down to watch this, just the fact that this was based upon a true story. After the death of the kid's father, Rhonda tries to help her daughter Desiree(... I did not know anyone actually named their offspring that) cope with the loss. This is really made for children, as is often the case with "family" flicks(with that said, go ahead and get everyone together for a viewing, though I'd keep teenagers out of it, unless you're sure they're gonna buy the concept), but it doesn't downplay the sting that the death of a parent is, and it doesn't really talk down to anyone. The plot is sufficiently interesting, and moves along well enough. Acting varies, with the excellent Burstyn outshining most of her fellow cast, Mathis following that pretty well, and Ferland and her peers(with a few exceptions) being the least convincing of the bunch(and frankly, they're irritating; then again, I'm not really in the intended audience for this thing). The editing and cinematography are standard, and certainly not less than that. While humor is limited to a handful of amusing lines or so, the tone is not an unpleasant one. There is an intense scene or two in this. I recommend this to fans of these types of movies. 7/10
Good True Story. But Low budget movie.
AngelHonesty3 September 2023
It's a heartwarming, wholesome True Story about a young girl and family grieving the death of a parent/husband. The only reason I didn't mind the movie is because I knew it was a true story. But the movie is lacking in many places. It's definitely a lower budget film. Simply put. Its boring. The story is wonderful, but very simple. And not told very well. There's very little to the movie and it drags on for too long. The filming style is even boring and not well done. The lead actress Jodelle Ferland was not the right actress. And Samantha Mathis didn't help in playing the role of the mother. She didn't have enough nurturing nature to her. It felt like she was a stranger with this kid. I didn't get the mother daughter vibes.
Because it's a true story, it's heartwarming knowing that sometimes God helps the smallest of people out. And there are good people out there. But I wish the movie would have been made a little better to show and get the message out. I felt disappointed by it.
Because it's a true story, it's heartwarming knowing that sometimes God helps the smallest of people out. And there are good people out there. But I wish the movie would have been made a little better to show and get the message out. I felt disappointed by it.
It's based on a true life story!
rony71 June 2000
What are the odds of a "Mermaid" helium balloon traveling from Yuba City, Ca.(on Nov 8th,1993) and landing 4 Days later,(on Nov. 12) in MERMAID, Prince Edward Island, Canada.(Approx. 4000 miles). This is a great movie. It is based on a true story. This movie helps not only children cope with losses, but older people as well. Hope everyone will enjoy it!!! Rhonda
Brilliant Movie really worth watching
jakrobson20 April 2007
What a lovely heart warming television movie. The story tells of a little five year old girl who has lost her daddy and finds it impossible to cope. Her mother is also very distressed ..only a miracle can alleviate their unhappiness.Which all viewers hope will materialise. Samantha Mathis is brilliant as the little girl's mum ,as she was as the nanny in" Jack and Sarah",worth watching if you like both Samantha Mathis and happy; year tear jerking movies! Ellen Burstyn is, as, always a delightful grandmother in this tender and magnificently acted movie. Jodelle Ferland (the little five year old) is charming and a most convincing young actress. The film is based on a true story which makes it so touching."Mermaid" is a tribute to the milk of human kindness which is clearly illustrated and clearly is still all around us in this difficult world we live in. "Mermaid" gives us all hope ,by realising that there a lot of lovely people in the world with lot's of love to give. James Robson Glasgow Scotland U.K.
One of the most endearing, beautiful true-life movies ever told about a child.
snapper-116 June 2005
My family and I have viewed this movie often over the years. It is clean, wholesome, heartbreaking and heartwarming. Showing us the compassion between two families of two countries thousands of miles apart and by the most uncanny of coincidences, it's almost as if the hand of God had to be intervening.
5 yo Jodelle Micah Ferland who plays Desi the heart stricken little girl, does a magnificent job of acting her part, and for me she was the Priam choice for the lead role.
All in all, a 10 out of 10. There are no downsides to this sweet human story. Children of all ages will tearfully, then joyfully watch this and it will bring the viewing family together with smiles and good feelings.
5 yo Jodelle Micah Ferland who plays Desi the heart stricken little girl, does a magnificent job of acting her part, and for me she was the Priam choice for the lead role.
All in all, a 10 out of 10. There are no downsides to this sweet human story. Children of all ages will tearfully, then joyfully watch this and it will bring the viewing family together with smiles and good feelings.
Child Prodigy
traveler757530 August 2002
A warm, touching movie that has a fantasy-like quality.
Ellen Burstyn is, as always, superb.
Samantha Mathis has given many great performances, but there is just something about this one will haunt your memory.
Most of all, you've got to see this amazing 5-yr. old, Jodelle Ferland. I was so captivated by her presence, I had to buy the movie so I could watch her again and again. She is a miracle of God's creation.
Judging by the high IMDB rating, I'm not the only one who was mesmerized by this young actress.
Ellen Burstyn is, as always, superb.
Samantha Mathis has given many great performances, but there is just something about this one will haunt your memory.
Most of all, you've got to see this amazing 5-yr. old, Jodelle Ferland. I was so captivated by her presence, I had to buy the movie so I could watch her again and again. She is a miracle of God's creation.
Judging by the high IMDB rating, I'm not the only one who was mesmerized by this young actress.
Touching true story
mermatt22 May 2000
The only mermaids in the TV-movie are the ones on the balloon and in the book, but the story is based on a real event.
Very loosely modeled on Hans Christian Andersen's original "The Little Mermaid" (not the Disney version), the film depicts in fanciful fashion the attempt of a small girl to communicate with her dead father in heaven by attaching a note to a balloon with a mermaid pictured on it. The balloon is carried on the wind from California to St. Edward's Island in Canada, and the people who find it respond to the girl's message. The cast is well-chosen and the film is touching without being mawkish.
It is pleasant to imagine that mermaids and angels exist in the light beyond death.
Very loosely modeled on Hans Christian Andersen's original "The Little Mermaid" (not the Disney version), the film depicts in fanciful fashion the attempt of a small girl to communicate with her dead father in heaven by attaching a note to a balloon with a mermaid pictured on it. The balloon is carried on the wind from California to St. Edward's Island in Canada, and the people who find it respond to the girl's message. The cast is well-chosen and the film is touching without being mawkish.
It is pleasant to imagine that mermaids and angels exist in the light beyond death.
love is in the air!
gbme431 May 2000
What an inspiring movie, I laughed, cried and felt love. For a true story,it does give you hope and that miracles do happen. It has a great cast. Ellen Burstyn, Samantha Mathis, Jodelle Ferland(she's 4 or 5yrs. old) what a actress. Its on Showtime. A Must See Movie!! :)=
heartwarming family drama, knowing its a true story it re-news your faith in God and fellow-man
gbme426 April 2001
this movie has a great message,a impressive cast, ellen burstyn, samantha mathis, jodelle ferland( was 4 years old when she made this movie) ellen burstyn and jodelle ferland have both been nominated for best actress in a tv drama at the up-coming emmy awards in new york, peter masterson-director- has been nominated best director tv drama at the emmy awards also. april 1, 2001, jodelle ferland 'Won', best actress in a tv drama, at the young artist awards, in studio city, ca. i can see why they have 3 nominations. mermaid is a true story, during the cridits they have the real family on the set, something you don't see often. you can find mermaid at all blockbuster video stores. do watch it,you'll be glad you did.
True story, wonderful movie.
romarian27 December 2002
And look how a true story, "... with a little help of it's friends..." : a welldone and touching script, a good directing and a surprising great acting from a bunch of "no-name" actors, especially from the 4-yr-old Jodelle Ferland, becomes a must seen movie. 9/10
Can't recommend it enough...
Sailor Leila10 November 2001
This is just a short comment but I stumbled onto this movie by chance and I loved it. The acting is great, the story is simple and touching, and the lines, especially from the 4-yr-old Desi, are so cute and sad. Seek it out.
Best Movie Ever Made
queequeg9255 June 2002
The little girl Desi is so adorable... I cant think of a more beautiful story then this one here. It will make you cry, laugh, and believe. Knowing that this was based on a true story just made me gasp and it also made me realize that there are nice people out there. Great cast and an overall great movie.
This is the best movie ever!!
my_dreams18 August 2002
The movie, "mermaid" is the best movie Ive ever seen! It`s not just a simple movie, it`s a really good one, and the best thing is that this have actually happen in real life! It give us a hope inside, when you see that even the dreams which seems to be impossible, isnt impossible after all, they can actually happen! The movie really helped me, and if it`s possible to buy the movie, I would do anything to buy it!
Wonderful movie! Highly recommended!
lauren-smith-793452 July 2020
I remember watching this movie as a young child and not fully understanding what was happening, however, rewatching it as an adult really was wonderful! There are certainly moments that bring tears to my eyes, but there is a heartwarming element throughout the movie as it paints a true picture of loss, grieving and hope.
A great movie; thank you for made it!
lucky1301809 January 2005
It is a great movie. i sow that some people think that this might not be based on a true story. No matter this !!, the movie is great, and all u can think is not why a balloon with a mermaid on it ends up flying in the mermaid town and so on, instead thinking that "a little girl's wish came true", and this means that all our peaceful dreams will come true if we trust in us, and do all in this world to make them true. The little girl (Desi - in the movie), and her mom, were the best actors i've been seen in a long time. Good for they, for all actors, all for the director. If someone can tell them this, please tell them, "A 25 year guy from Romania says thank you for making this movie".
miracles do exist
minsayyeah5 April 2008
i just saw this movie on TV..
i've lost my dad when i was young and this movie surely did touch me..
i can feel the lost that the little girl Desi felt..
the feeling of wanting to see her father again..
wanting to talk to him..
or at least given the chance to say goodbye..
and i'm so touched with the letter that was wrote back to her..
saying that her father read her letter, and sent it back to someone to reply her and buy her a present because there isn't a shop in heaven..
it just lets me feel that miracles do exist..
i've lost my dad when i was young and this movie surely did touch me..
i can feel the lost that the little girl Desi felt..
the feeling of wanting to see her father again..
wanting to talk to him..
or at least given the chance to say goodbye..
and i'm so touched with the letter that was wrote back to her..
saying that her father read her letter, and sent it back to someone to reply her and buy her a present because there isn't a shop in heaven..
it just lets me feel that miracles do exist..
Interesting to see the film and know what they did.
rspress4 May 2004
It is interesting to see the film and the creative license the took in making it. My mom is the secretary for the crop dusting service owned by "papa Quaid"...not his real name and has been for many, many years....including when this really happened. I also know the pilot in the Steve Stutz.
In real life the crop dusting service is not at a little shed at an airport but at their own airstrip with many buildings. The broken down old biplane is also not true. They have used new round motors but at the time also used single wind turbine power thrush and their own design of biplane turbine power aircraft.
The flaggers in the pictures are also a bit of a stretch. In the real world the had a flagger at each end of the field it a huge flag on a long pole....many years ago they did away with the flaggers and use GPS. They crops they dusted in the film are also not around here in large numbers. Corn is not grown in Yuba City nor is summer wheat...Winter wheat, rice and tree crops such as walnuts, peaches, prunes and almonds are.
Also the area is portrayed as a cowboy type of town....this is also not the case. While it is farm country the town of Yuba City itself has about 60,000 people in it. The town of marysville which is over the bridge from Yuba City has about 35,000 to 40,000 residents.
Despite the "Hollywood touches" the film does portray an accurate depiction of the events that happened. I think the film would have been better without the Hollywood touches but that is a personal opinion. One thing they got very right was that anyone who has lived in Yuba City hates the fact they moved back to the area after leaving it!
In real life the crop dusting service is not at a little shed at an airport but at their own airstrip with many buildings. The broken down old biplane is also not true. They have used new round motors but at the time also used single wind turbine power thrush and their own design of biplane turbine power aircraft.
The flaggers in the pictures are also a bit of a stretch. In the real world the had a flagger at each end of the field it a huge flag on a long pole....many years ago they did away with the flaggers and use GPS. They crops they dusted in the film are also not around here in large numbers. Corn is not grown in Yuba City nor is summer wheat...Winter wheat, rice and tree crops such as walnuts, peaches, prunes and almonds are.
Also the area is portrayed as a cowboy type of town....this is also not the case. While it is farm country the town of Yuba City itself has about 60,000 people in it. The town of marysville which is over the bridge from Yuba City has about 35,000 to 40,000 residents.
Despite the "Hollywood touches" the film does portray an accurate depiction of the events that happened. I think the film would have been better without the Hollywood touches but that is a personal opinion. One thing they got very right was that anyone who has lived in Yuba City hates the fact they moved back to the area after leaving it!
i cried. i never cried but, i can relate but differently when, it comes to copin' over a loss....
Manami_Miku2821 December 2023
I can completely relate to a passin' of a family member, cuz, i lost my aunt on my 15th b'day (Nov. 6, 2008) i ma now, 30 but, how lil' Dezi (in the movie) was coping i did a different copin' mechanism but, was unhealthy & idk tbh how helped me come out of it, but, i ended my engagement when, i was 29 & found i was still lost but, didn't lose hope, a friend who i met was no counselor but, he helped me out so much & we came close & we b'came a couple soon after, & we now help each other out from time to time & i have almost made it 2yrs w/o goin' back into that unhealthy copin' mechanism all thanks to him. This movie i can relate to in some way but, sent it throu, a song instead of in a letter attached to a balloon. My grandpa passed away not long ago & watchin' this & knu'in' it's 1st christmas w/o him this movie helped me in so many was, u dunno. Thank u! Thank u!
Looooocie?
SanDiego2 September 2000
Ariel? Darryl Hannah? Cher (remember THAT film)? Well, this film has a lot more in common with that than Hans Christian Anderson folklore. But not much. No cute half-naked women here (animated, live, or even imagined), and not because it's a kid's movie, which it isn't. Mermaid you see is mainly a town. It's also a doll a little girl plays with, and a picture on the side of a balloon, but mostly it's a town (showing up late in the film like Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now...but the town's a little smaller). Now at first a town named Mermaid could seem like a pretty neat concept...sort of an Atlantis thing going...but no this movie strays from such fun and goes directly, immediately, emotionally for that snappy of all movie subjects...DEATH! And not just DEATH! But, DEATH! as experienced by a very young girl who is emotionally traumatized by the DEATH! of her father. Everything she says is said in third person (maybe she's a fan of Bob Dole). "Desi wants to know when her Daddy is coming baaaaaaack?" "Did Desi's daddy leave because Desi was a baaaaaad girl?" "Desi wants to see her daaaaaaaddy." "Desi wants to say goodbyyyyyyye." "Desi had a baaaaaaaaad dreeeeeeeam." "Desi wants to know if the angels are going to take yoooooooooou tooooooooooo (mommy)?" That's about the tone and dialogue throughout this film. To make things worse the girl's name is Desi. Desi? Like what, did her mom spend all day watching old I LOVE LUCY episodes during pregnancy? Perhaps her trauma is not so much her father's death but that in the delivery room her doctor spanked her to the tune of Babaloooooo! Good thing this movie wasn't made more recently otherwise she could have been named Little Elian. Well Little Ricky, I mean Desi, sends a Mermaid adorned balloon (The Flying Mermaid) off and it ends up in the town of Mermaid. Must be a miracle!!!! Based on a true story? Riiiiight. HOUSE OF CARDS tackled the same subject (via another traumatized girl) but with much better success. "Desi says you will like that film." "Desi says do yourself a favor and skip MERMAIDS and rent THE LITTLE MERMAID instead." One bright spot. You will probably fall asleep without having to watch the entire movie. Just in case you do and did: The movie ends with the mother giving birth (another miracle!) to a boy she names Lucy. Just kidding.
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