Mermaids (1990)

Cher plays an attractive young mother with two daughters, the self-conscious teenager Charlotte and the adorable swimmer Katie. She tries to deal with life’s everyday problems while being a single mother. Ryder plays Charlotte, trying to cope with her embarrassing mother who dates married men and moves her daughters around with her from place to place. When they relocate to the town of Eastport, Massachusetts, Charlotte meets a handsome young neighbor Joe Paretti who just happens to be the caretaker at the local convent. She thinks that this is a sign from God, seeing as she wants to be a nun. Charlotte learns about herself and her surroundings, all the while thinking about her father and wondering if he’ll ever come back. Ryder is terrific as well as Cher in this story about life, love and the need to belong someplace. Starring Cher, Winona Ryder, Christina Ricci, Bob Hoskins, Michael Schoeffling, Caroline McWilliams, Jan Miner 7/10