Aquamarine review

One morning, teenage buddies Claire (Emma Roberts) and Hailey (Joanna Levesque) discover a mermaid in their swimming pool. Aquamarine (Sara Paxton) has swum away from home to find true love and will grant her discoverers a wish if they help her... All right, so it sounds a little Lady In The Water-lite, but this sweet slice of girlie fluff isn't nearly as galling as it seems. Cute, charming and daft, it's essentially Splash for 13-year-olds. First-time director Elizabeth Allen handles the themes of young love and friendship with surprising skill, while the wide-eyed riff on Clueless-era Alicia Silverstone delivered by Paxton's eponymous fishgirl, while grating at first, surprisingly goes on to steal the film from her competent co-stars. With only the odd duff gag, Aquamarine manages to swim when it really should sink like an anvil.