As a character seeking redemption for purely imaginary sins, Ryder comesclose to redeeming this agreeably feckless movie by director RichardBenjamin and screenwriter June Roberts. She is in touch with somehormonal reality, some temporary teenage insanity (sad, funny, scary,all at once) that the rest of the film, caught up in the desire to makeus say "aww" instead of making us go "argh," cannot approach. The moviemust drive the Flaxes sane, and once its instrument for doing so, asensible shoe-store owner named Lou Landsky (Bob Hoskins), begins tocourt the missus, Mermaids abandons the tumultuous seas Ryder wants toply and starts flopping its way to a shallow pond of easy sentiment.