US television starlet Sara Paxton makes a splash as the eponymous teenage mermaid in this 21st-century answer to The Little Mermaid. Florida teenagers Claire (Emma Roberts) and Hailey (Joanna "JoJo" Levesque) are the archetypal "Plain Janes" who dream of getting a second glance from a hunky lifeguard (the terminally bland Jake McDorman). But when Aquamarine is washed ashore in a tempest, the girls have three days to help her woo their own object of desire and so prove the existence of love - in return for which they'll be granted one wish. After a sluggish start, director Elizabeth Allen quickly glosses over any possible tensions and pitches the trio against the local "It" girl (Arielle Kebbel). From then on it's mostly make-up tips and the inevitable shopping montage. Despite its earnest message and Paxton's knack for comedy, this trite fable has about as much depth as a rock pool.

Two teenage girls discover that mermaids really do exist after a violent storm washes one ashore. The mermaid, a sassy creature named Aquamarine, is determined to prove to her father that real love exists, and enlists the girls' help in winning the heart of a handsome lifeguard.