Mermaid flick a charming tale

Ron Howard's "Splash" is a charming film with a delightful story full of bubbly characters.\nThe story begins when eight-year-old Allen Bauer jumps off the side of a ship and finds himself face-to-face with a mermaid. Fast-forward a couple decades and a few hardships, after drinking with his brother (John Candy), who tells him, "It's not that you've had a lot to drink, it's just that you're too skinny," Allen (Tom Hanks) goes overboard once again. As luck would have it, Allen's overtly sexual mermaid friend (Daryl Hannah) comes to the rescue a second time, which leads to a sizzling relationship between the two. \nThe quirky relationship which starts out with elevator sex and Tiffany gifts quickly adopts discussions of marriage and children. However, a crazed and clumsy scientist (Eugene Levy) soon threatens the duo's happiness, and they are forced to make a quick decision about their future.\nThe DVD includes the featurette "Making a Splash" in which Ron Howard describes the making of the film and how "Splash" was the movie which launched Disney's Touchstone Pictures. Also among the features are Hanks' and Hannah's audition tapes, which are quite dull, except for showing an adorable Hanks in braces.\n"Splash" is a sexy, flirty comedy which isn't at all realistic, but that's what makes it so much fun to watch.