THE STORY – A drug-addicted Florida man finds a wounded mermaid at his lowest point. When word spreads about his secret, he’ll stop at nothing to protect her.
THE CAST – Johnny Pemberton, Avery Potemri, Kevin Nealon, Kirk Fox, Julia Larson, Devyn McDowell, Tom Arnold, Robert Patrick & Kevin Dunn
THE TEAM – Tyler Cornack (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 105 Minutes
We’ve all seen mermaids onscreen, most likely in 1984’s “Splash,” a fantastical, crowd-pleasing romantic comedy. Tyler Cornack’s 2026 film “Mermaid” is far from that Tom Hanks/Daryl Hannah classic. This aims to be like “Splash” but for sickos, presented in a more naturalistic manner, with some horror elements. In addition, “Mermaid” is described in text as a “love letter to Florida,” which it certainly appears to be. Like the Sunshine State, this film is filled with quirky characters and situations that seem too bizarre to be true. Yet we’re saddled with a character we’ve seen before: drug-addicted, suicidal, and lonely, as is the protagonist.
If you’ve ever Googled “Florida man” and then your birthday (or any date, for that matter), you’ve seen countless stories about things you couldn’t make up. “Mermaid” centers on Doug (Johnny Pemberton), a drug-addicted, newly unemployed man at his lowest point. People often say things about him like, “Something’s not right with him,” implying he’s neurodivergent. He has trouble making and keeping friends, a one-night stand led to him becoming a father, and he’s clearly very lonely and lost. When he happens upon an injured mermaid, he can’t help but take her in, despite how violent and unfriendly she appears. Instead of being shocked, he feels an almost immediate bond with her. It’s not sexual or romantic (like in “The Shape of Water“), which is a smart decision and may have sent the movie off the rails otherwise. When people inevitably find out about his secret, he’ll stop at nothing to protect her.
The mermaid in this movie’s title is nothing like Hannah’s classically beautiful sea creature; this one is genuinely scary and horrific-looking, aided by terrific makeup effects and a distinctive creature design. The horror elements are among the best. Sadly, the comedic bits largely do not work. I found very little of the film’s humor to be funny. Although there are glimpses of clever dialogue and inclusions, especially when mentioning modern things like Alexa, there’s a near-constant tonal mismatch that kept me at a distance from the narrative. Cornack attempts to move from pure comedy to more serious material, but those wild swings don’t land. Thankfully, “Mermaid” takes some unexpected turns, especially after a climactic event that has Doug showing agency and badassery in saving the mermaid. There’s one scene that’s so grotesque you won’t be able to get it out of your mind (in a good way). However, even by this point, the bond between him and the creature is hard to buy into fully, and it’s a far cry from the powerful interspecies friendship we see between Ryland Grace and Rocky in this year’s blockbuster “Project Hail Mary.”
While it’s nice to see actors like Kevin Nealon, Tom Arnold (who appears only in the very first scene), and Kevin Dunn onscreen, they have so little screentime that they make little impact, except for Dunn, whose monologue on the boat is impeccable. It doesn’t help that Pemberton is a rather unappealing lead, offering no depth or real emotion. This is probably also a result of us not caring very much about Doug; we don’t get a “save the cat” moment or a reason to root for him. Even after his claims to love his fish, he’s okay feeding them to the mermaid, which is a turn-off for this vegan reviewer.
Cornack, who previously directed indie films like “Tiny Cinema” and “Butt Boy,” includes mostly naturalistic sequences with the occasional stylized scene, such as when Doug is in a drug-induced state. His filmmaking is probably more consistent than his script, which is mostly forgettable. And yet, “Mermaid,” despite its flaws, is enjoyable enough for its unique depiction of mermaids and its portrayal of a “Florida man” come to life. Sure, the title is unoriginal, but its presentation is not. Of course, it’s nowhere near as good as “Splash,” but it doesn’t need to be.
