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Mermaid

Play trailer 1:32 Poster for Mermaid Apr 2026 1h 45m Comedy Fantasy Action Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
94% Tomatometer 18 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Doug is an awkward Florida drug addict. Divorced and alone, he shares custody of his young daughter with his ex. Doug's reeling from losing his job at a local strip club, where he takes care of the fish in the aquarium. Things are beyond bleak -- so Doug zips his boat out into the Gulf to end the pain of his reality. But at his lowest point, he discovers an injured Mermaid creature clinging to life. For Doug, it's a sign from the Universe -- so he brings her home, gives her shelter in his tub and begins to nurse her back to health. He even names her Destiny. As their rapport blossoms, word of his secret gets out and he is forced to protect his new friend by any means necessary.

Critics Reviews

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Maxwell Rabb Slant Magazine Apr 1
2.5/4
Ultimately, Mermaid shows how loneliness can un-anchor a person, and it makes you understand how any lost sailor might fall for the first thing, no matter what it is, that breaks it. Go to Full Review
Matt Zoller Seitz RogerEbert.com 03/25/2025
In the end, “Mermaid” is more a promising first effort than a fully satisfying experience. Go to Full Review
Aaron Neuwirth We Live Entertainment 4h
6/10
Even with the surreal nature of it all, the genre-bending story made for an interesting way to take in the broad notion of what gives rise to the infamous "Florida Man." Go to Full Review
Matthew Jackson Bloody Disgusting 18h
3.5/5
By the end, Cornack and company have, warts and all, achieved something that feels like The Shape of Water by way of Sean Baker, and that’s the kind of thing you have to see to believe. Go to Full Review
Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens 1d
3/5
Following [Tyler Cornack's] earlier, gleefully twisted Butt Boy, Mermaid retains that offbeat sensibility but grounds it in something more human. This isn’t weird for the sake of weird. It’s weird with purpose. Go to Full Review
Avi Offer NYC Movie Guru 2d
A wickedly funny and unabashedly absurd horror comedy. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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B P @Bradster69 8h A Creature Feature Comedy with Bite and Heart See more Read all reviews
Mermaid

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Movie Info

Synopsis Doug is an awkward Florida drug addict. Divorced and alone, he shares custody of his young daughter with his ex. Doug's reeling from losing his job at a local strip club, where he takes care of the fish in the aquarium. Things are beyond bleak -- so Doug zips his boat out into the Gulf to end the pain of his reality. But at his lowest point, he discovers an injured Mermaid creature clinging to life. For Doug, it's a sign from the Universe -- so he brings her home, gives her shelter in his tub and begins to nurse her back to health. He even names her Destiny. As their rapport blossoms, word of his secret gets out and he is forced to protect his new friend by any means necessary.
Director
Tyler Cornack
Producer
Cole Eckerle, Dane Eckerle, Daniel Brandt
Screenwriter
Tyler Cornack
Distributor
Utopia
Production Co
Bad Grey
Genre
Comedy, Fantasy, Action, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 8, 2026, Limited
Runtime
1h 45m
Aspect Ratio
Digital 2.39:1