A mermaid in New York, a man who cannot believe his luck, and a romance that launched a movie star. Tom Hanks makes Splash feel both magical and completely human.
Released in 1984, Splash stars Hanks as Allen Bauer, a New York businessman who falls in love with Madison, played by Daryl Hannah, a mermaid who has taken human form. The fantasy is played straight: Allen does not know Madison’s secret, and the comedy comes from his baffled, sincere attempts to understand her.
Hanks was still a television face to many audiences, and Splash made him a film star. He is funny without pushing, romantic without sentimentality, and he grounds the fairy tale in ordinary life — a grocery store, an apartment, a brother who will not believe a word of it.
It is a signature early role because it shows the Hanks formula taking shape: an ordinary man, an extraordinary situation, and a performance that makes both feel true.