Mermaids (1990)

I'm a sucker for anything Winona Ryder. If I could look like anyone in the world it would hands down be a young Winona Ryder. Like, are you kidding me?

So bear with me if this turns out to be an #ILoveWinonaRyder appreciation post. And don't even get me started on young Winona Ryder and young Johnny Depp. Honestly. 

 

Anyway, I was really excited to find the movie Mermaids starring Winona Ryder (at age 18). No Johnny Depp, but don't worry, it was still a good movie. 

Winona Ryder plays Charlotte Flax, a 15 year old who is completely sick of her mother's promiscuous ways. Whenever her mother (Cher) is over a relationship she's in, she picks up Charlotte and her 9-year-old sister, Kate (Christina Ricci), and moves them to a random destination across the U.S. 

Charlotte tries her very hardest not to be like her mother. Even though there is no religion in the home (and even though they're Jewish), Charlotte is convinced that her calling in the world is to be a Catholic nun. This proves to be very difficult, considering the monastery they now live up the street from has an older man named Joe who she is COMPLETELY in love with. The biggest downside, though, is that he's 26.

Once they move to this new town in Massachusetts, Rachel Flax (Cher) begins to flirt and date as well. She stumbles upon a man named Lou, who in my opinion is one of the greatest examples of family and fatherhood that the movie has to offer. Lou's children are all grown, and he really takes a liking to Rachel and her two daughters. He is able to give the children the stability and love that their mother has so often been cold with. Even though this sense of security and stability scares Rachel, she begins to embrace the idea of having a real family.

The rest of the movie shows continuous events and relationships that both strengthen and challenge their family bonds, as they come to learn to accept one another for who they are, understand the importance of family, and learn what it is that they truly want in life. 

Overall, I thought it was a really great movie, and if you're into the whole 90s movies things like I tend to be (and if you're into Winona Ryder) then I highly recommend that you give it a try.