Aquamarine
Fox 2000 Pictures | Release Date: March 3, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
51
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
16
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
The movie has a sweetness and innocence that makes it near perfect entertainment for its target audience. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Undemanding, unsurprising and really quite charming within conventional limits, Elizabeth Allen’s tween-coming-of-age feature debut is as realist as can be, given that, of the three nice Florida girls who need to grow up in the movie, the eponymous heroine (Sara Paxton) is a high-achieving blond mermaid with vaguely feminist leanings, a twitchy blue tail and the comic timing of an up-and-coming Cameron Diaz. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
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. Read full review
70
VarietyJoe Leydon
Result is an unusually likeable family-friendly comedy. Read full review
67
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Refreshingly, the movie never wavers in the importance it places on friendship over just about anything else. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Won't win points for originality, but the screenplay includes some snappy dialogue, smart observations, and an uplifting message about the importance of friendship. Read full review
63
USA TodayStaff [Not Credited]
Despite corny one-liners and plot developments that don't always hold water, Aquamarine rises above the flotsam filling theaters this time of year with a likable tale of friendship and charming performances. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
It's not the best "Little Mermaid" movie - it's totally predictable and its trio of tweeners squeal at a pitch that could break glass. But it's also a bubbly confection about best friends, crushes on preening lifeguards, grrrl power and shades-of-blue fashion tips. Read full review
63
New York PostKyle Smith
It's high-spirited, innocent fun. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Unique because it's the rare movie that fiercely respects the altruistic loyalty that bonds girls to one another. Read full review
60
The New York TimesNeil Genzlinger
Ms. Paxton isn't quite as magnetic as a movie mermaid ought to be, but the two buddies are a treat to watch, especially Ms. Roberts, showing the genes of her Aunt Julia. Read full review
60
EmpireAnna Smith
This fantasy comedy should entertain its pre-teen female market – and repel those silly superficial boys (swoon). Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
That everything gets worked out -- friendship affirmed, jokes made about silly magazine articles on reeling in a boy -- is as sure as the soundtrack's inclusion of a Mandy Moore song. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
This is a totally predictable exercise if you're not in the target market. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverGregg Rickman
Aquamarine will likely please its undemanding tween audience--especially if today's kids are as unsavvy a crew as 20th Century Fox seems to think. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie is awfully sweet. The young actresses playing eighth-graders look their age, for once, and have an unstudied charm. Read full review
50
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Aquamarine is better than nothing for its woefully underserved audience. Read full review
50
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWinda Benedetti
If "Splash" was a movie for grownups and "The Little Mermaid" was a film for kids, it's safe to say that the latest flick to feature a mermaid is aimed directly at those who are neither adults nor children, but rather lost somewhere in that awkward middle zone in between. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
The story has its hokey moments ("There's something very fishy about that girl"), but the sincerity and focus of the storytelling compensate. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Aside from an inspired bit involving a pair of sycophantic starfish, it's amazing how unimaginative a movie about a mermaid can be, and it's sad how thoroughly its girl-power stylings devolve into a muddle of mixed messages. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Like its title heroine, it's sparkly, pretty and flirty--but often all wet. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Simultaneously salacious and sugary. Read full review
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
The film robs mermaids of everything exotic and remarkable about them in mythology. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Adapted (and significantly reshaped) from a young-adult book by novelist Alice Hoffman, Aquamarine has the tossed-off quality of an ABC Family TV movie. Its lessons come pre-digested. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarrit Ingman
But for what it is, I think it's pretty okay. It's not going to win an Oscar or anything. But I liked how it was actually made for tween girls. Read full review
40
Village VoiceGregg Rickman
The film's true focus is the friendship between the two girls, although this tends to get lost between Elizabeth Allen's jittery direction and the screenplay's contrivances. Read full review
38
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
It would seem that Allen and screenwriters John Quaintance and Jessica Bendinger couldn't decide between making a movie about the summer that 'tweens become teens or "Scenes From a Mal"l for the MTV set. Read full review
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