A mainstream breakthrough for both director Ron Howard and emerging everyman star Tom Hanks, Splash takes the meet-cute romantic comedy to an entirely new place. Hanks plays Allen, an unlucky-in-love workaholic whose life is forever changed by a fateful encounter, at the foot of the Statue of Liberty, with a beautiful mermaid (Daryl Hannah). Every bit a fish out of water, “Madison,” as she comes to call herself, moves in with a baffled and besotted Allen, sleeping submerged in the bathtub and learning English from daytime television. As Allen reconsiders what he knows about the world, himself, and love, Madison tests the limits of how long she can be out of her native habitat.
Splash
Splash
Presented on 35mm—Extended intro with Ron Howard on July 9
Tickets: $11 (members), $16 (nonmembers)
"The movie that really showed Tom Hanks' promise as a deliverer of great comedy and heart-warming pathos."
"Splash is funny and gentle and quite entertaining, and there isn't a cynical moment in it... Splash suggests that we had better keep an eye on Ron Howard, director. He is something special, too."
SPECIAL EVENTS
Extended introduction with Filmmaker and JBFC Board Member Ron Howard
Thursday, Jul. 9 2026, 8:00
- Ron Howard is one of this generation’s most popular directors. From the critically acclaimed dramas Cinderella Man and Apollo 13 to the hit comedies Parenthood and Splash, he has created some of Hollywood’s most memorable films. Howard directed and produced A Beautiful Mind starring Oscar winner Russell Crowe, which earned Howard an Oscar for Best Director and also won awards for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress. He received his first Best Director of the Year award from the DGA for Apollo 13. The true-life drama also garnered nine Academy Award nominations, winning Oscars for Best Film Editing and Best Sound. Howard’s more recent films include Rush, The Beatles: Eight Days a Week, Pavarotti, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Rebuilding Paradise, Hillbilly Elegy, We Feed People, Thirteen Lives, and Eden.
Tickets: $30 (members), $35 (nonmembers)
This film is part of the Ron Howard Retrospective series.
Coming Soon
Rose of Nevada
Opens 6/26—Q&A with director Mark Jenkin on June 22
Maddie's Secret
Opens 6/26
Peter Asher: Everywhere Man
Opens 6/26
Romería
Opens 7/3
Tuner: Preview Club Wrap-Up
Get the inside scoop on this NYT Critic's Pick!
Eat, Shop, Catch a Film!
Take advantage of JBFC Member discounts at local restaurants, shops, and more.
Steven Spielberg's Sci-Fi
Now Showing through June 21