Mermaids is a 1986 novel written by author Patty Dann. The book was her first and won numerous awards.^{[citation needed]} Mermaids is also a 1990 movie directed by Richard Benjamin and starring Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder (who was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for best supporting actress for her role), and Christina Ricci in her first film role. 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Patty Dann is an American author, mostly known for her 1986 novel Mermaids, in which a 14-year-old protagonist goes through the ups and downs of adolescence. ... This article is about the year. ... Richard Benjamin in July 1986. ... Cher[1] (born Cheryl Sarkisian LaPiere on May 20, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and entertainer. ... Bob Hoskins Robert William Bob Hoskins (born October 26, 1942) is a British actor best known for playing Cockney rough diamonds and gangsters, and for family films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988, Eddie Valiant). ... Winona Ryder (born Winona Laura Horowitz on October 29, 1971) is an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award winning American actress. ... The Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... Christina Ricci (born February 12, 1980) is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominated American actress. ...

Plot summary

It is narrated by 15-year-old protagonist Charlotte who lives with her mother, Mrs. Flax, and her 8-year-old sister Kate. Mrs. Flax is a sexually promiscuous woman who is constantly getting herself into situations from which she flees by uprooting the family and relocating. Charlotte and Kate have different fathers; Charlotte's left when she was just a girl, while Kate's, an Olympic swimmer, fled before she was born. The protagonist or main character is the central figure of a story. ... Promiscuity is the practice of making relatively unselective, casual and indiscriminate choices. ... Olympics redirects here. ... Swimming is the method by which humans (or other animals) move themselves through water. ...

The story is told in the first person as the Flaxes move into a new home near a convent. Charlotte, constantly on the search for a religion to follow (the family is Jewish), develops an obsession with Catholicism and decides to be a nun. This is mostly a byproduct of her desperate desire to be different from her mother, and contradictory to her own budding womanly desires. These are particularly strong for the much older and ruggedly handsome Joe, a handyman and schoolbus driver. This article is about an abbey as a religious building. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... As a Christian ecclesiastical term, Catholic - from the Greek adjective , meaning general or universal[1] - is described in the Oxford English Dictionary as follows: ~Church, (originally) whole body of Christians; ~, belonging to or in accord with (a) this, (b) the church before separation into Greek or Eastern and Latin or... Nun in cloister, 1930; photograph by Doris Ulmann A nun is a woman who has taken special vows committing her to a religious life. ... A new 1973 Wayne Lifeguard school bus won in national contest for safety ideas is presented to winning driver from Goochland County Public Schools by Wayne dealer Jeff Davis at Virginia State Capitol A school bus is a bus used to transport schoolgirls and boys to and from school. ...

The story, set in the 1960s, culminates in Charlotte's ultimate act of rebellion as she and her sister get drunk and head over to the convent. Charlotte makes love to Joe in a church tower and Kate nearly drowns to death in a river running through the property. The tale is a cautionary one, symbolizing mother-daughter relationships and the importance for parents to confess their mistakes so that their children are not doomed to repeat them. The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Drunkenness, in its most common usage, is the state of being intoxicated with alcohol (i. ...

Cast

• Cher as Rachel Flax
• Bob Hoskins as Lou Landsky
• Winona Ryder as Charlotte Flax
• Michael Schoeffling as Joe Porretti
• Christina Ricci as Kate Flax
• Caroline McWilliams as Carrie

Cher[1] (born Cheryl Sarkisian LaPiere on May 20, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and entertainer. ... Bob Hoskins Robert William Bob Hoskins (born October 26, 1942) is a British actor best known for playing Cockney rough diamonds and gangsters, and for family films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988, Eddie Valiant). ... Winona Ryder (born Winona Laura Horowitz on October 29, 1971) is an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award winning American actress. ... Actor Michael Schoeffling (born 1960 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and raised in New Jersey) began his career in the mid-1980s as a GQ fashion model, photographed by the likes of Bruce Weber. ... Christina Ricci (born February 12, 1980) is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominated American actress. ... Caroline McWilliams (b. ...

Trivia

• Winona Ryder replaced Emily Lloyd because it was thought that Lloyd looked too genetically dissimilar to Cher.

• When Charlotte is arguing with her mother after Kate's accident, she gets angry and smashes a dish. The scene ends with Mrs Flax slapping her after a rude comment. There is a simillar scene in another film in which Cher also stars, Mask.

This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Cher[1] (born Cheryl Sarkisian LaPiere on May 20, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and entertainer. ... Mask is a 1985 film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, and starring Cher and Eric Stoltz. ...

Filming locations

• Massachusetts: Cambridge, Manchester, Essex, North Easton, Waltham, Ipswich, Gloucester, Malden and Rockport
• New Hampshire
• Rhode Island

This article is about the U.S. State. ...   Settled: 1630 â€“ Incorporated: 1636 Zip Code(s): 02138, 02139, 02140, 02141, 02142 â€“ Area Code(s): 617 / 857 Official website: http://www. ... Manchester-by-the-Sea (also called just Manchester) is a town located in Essex County, Massachusetts. ... Seal of Essex, MA Essex is a town located in Essex County, Massachusetts, 26 miles north of Boston. ...   Settled: 1694 â€“ Incorporated: 1725 Zip Code(s): 02356 â€“ Area Code(s): 508 / 774 Official website: http://www. ...   Often called the true birthplace of the industrial revolution, Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. ...   Nickname: Birthplace of American Independence Settled: 1633 â€“ Incorporated: 1634 Zip Code(s): 01938 â€“ Area Code(s): 351 / 978 Official website: http://www. ... Settled: 1623 â€“ Incorporated: 1642 Zip Code(s): 01930 â€“ Area Code(s): 351 / 978 Official website: http://www. ... Malden is the name of some places: Malden, London, England: there is both a New Malden) and an Old Malden, part of the London Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames In the United States of America: Malden, Illinois Malden, Massachusetts Malden, Missouri Malden, New York Malden, Washington Malden, West Virginia Malden... Settled: 1623 â€“ Incorporated: 1840 Zip Code(s): 01966 â€“ Area Code(s): 351 / 978 Official website: http://www. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Memorable quotes

Rachel: Charlotte, I know you're planning a celibate life, but with half my chromosomes, I think that might be tough.

(Charlotte is praying at a shrine she has made in her room to the Virgin Mary.)

Rachel: Charlotte, we're Jewish.

Rachel Don't do anything I wouldn't do! On second thought... don't do anything I would do. Saint Mary and Saint Mary the Virgin both redirect here. ...

Charlotte Flax: I want to stay! Rachel Flax: And do what? Charlotte Flax: Finish high school Rachel Flax: Great start. What's your major? Town tramp? Charlotte Flax: No Mom, the town already has one.

Mary O'Brien: See that woman right there? That's my mother and when I grow up... I want to be just like yours. Charlotte Flax: Mary, you already are.

See also

• 1950s Nostalgia Films

Cycle of films taking place during the 1950s (or occasionally the early 1960s) that was started by American Graffiti (1973), continued by Grease (1978) and lasted throughout the 1980s. ...

External links

• Mermaids at the Internet Movie Database
• Mermaids at MGM site