1 of 4 | Left to right, Julia Valentine Larson, Devyn McDoweland and Kevin Nealon star in “Mermaid,” now available to buy or rent on digital platforms. Photo courtesy of Utopia
Saturday Night Live and Happy Gilmore legend Kevin Nealon may be one of the funniest people on the planet, but he plays it straight in the new horror-comedy, Mermaid.
Released on digital platforms Tuesday, the film casts Nealon as Keith, a wealthy Florida man patiently dealing with Doug (Johnny Pemberton) — the drug addict ex-boyfriend of his young wife Tina (Julia Valentine Larson) — who is keeping a dying, terrifying-looking mermaid (Avery Potemri) in his bathtub because he is lonely.
Tyler Cornack wrote and directed the movie, which co-stars Robert Patrick, Kirk Fox, Tom Arnold and Kevin Dunn.
Devyn McDoweland plays Layla, Tina and Doug’s adorable daughter.
“it’s always strained when you have a new wife and there’s a lot of history with her old ex and you’re trying to fit into the family. But I think that could be very difficult and challenging and that’s what it was for Keith,” Nealon, 72, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
“He’s kind of non-judgmental, but he wants his wife to be comfortable and he tries to act accordingly to that. But I think there’s a soft spot in his heart for Doug.”
Keith does not see Doug as competition for Tina’s affections, Nealon said, noting Doug’s constant failures make Keith look all the more accomplished and reliable.
“That’s why I am not so much fighting with the Doug character, as far as being jealous or anything like that,” Nealon said.
Although the film’s circumstances are outrageous, the themes and characters at the heart of it are relatable.
“People will connect, definitely, with the Doug character, being pushed out of the loop and having the addiction problems,” Nealon said.
“But I think, also, a lot of people would be able to relate to [Tina], too, because, of what she’s going through, trying to start a new life with a new man, but yet still having the burden of this crazy, Percocet-addicted ex,” he added. “It’s tough to get rid of baggage.”
Keith also cares deeply for Layla and tries to be a stabilizing force for her.
“There’s not enough opportunities for him to make it normal or to give that opportunity a chance to happen because of all the craziness that’s going on in their lives,” Nealon said.
“That’s frustrating to him to a certain extent and he’s maybe second-guessing his choice to be in that family.”
That uneasiness is only exacerbated when Doug shows up to Layla’s kiddie birthday party pushing a wheelchair carrying the disguised, lathargic mermaid, then introduces her as his sick girlfriend, Destiny.
The situation gets even worse when Destiny freaks out and spews ink all over the children, cake and decorations.
“At first, he has no idea what’s going on, of course,” Nealon said of Keith.
“It’s a slow kind of a reveal when he shows up with her in the wheelchair and not facing [Keith],” he added. “I think he’s a little suspicious of what’s going on, but never could have imagined it would be that he would have a mermaid in his chair, not only a mermaid, but a real scary, crazy-looking mermaid.”
Asked what he thought of how Destiny looked when he first saw her, Nealon replied: “They showed me pictures, but I hadn’t actually seen the her until that point.
“I got a good enough look to know that it was something bizarre going on under those coverings.”
Nealon has poignant moments consoling Layla after her party is ruined and when she reads Doug a poem she wrote expressing her feelings of disappointment in him.
The man who is famous for never “breaking” or laughing in a scene regardless how hilarious it is said he employed the same restraint in his more dramatic scenes in Mermaid.
“I think I still had to be strong for my wife because she was more emotional about it. But it really did affect me, too,” Nealon said.
“It was such a powerful poem and sad and very moving,” he added. “So, that was a difficult scene.”
When he’s not making movies, Nealon can be seen starring in his celebrity interview show, Hiking with Kevin, and taking his stand-up comedy act on the road.
He is also a frequent X poster, who recently challenged Danny DeVito to a wrestling match for the WWE or AEW.
The proposition has the gleeful support of fans and AEW President and CEO Tony Khan, who asked if Nealon and DeVito still had their outfits from when they played body builders in an iconic SNL comedy sketch.
“Hear me now. If The Trash Man Danny DeVito refuses to accept my challenge, then I Franz will be forced to escalate. I will challenge Arnold Schwarzenegger,” Nealon wrote on X.
Another post read: “Training camp update from me Franz. Hear me now and believe me later. Strength and endurance are at their peak. Patience is gone. Still waiting on weakling Danny DeVito to accept the challenge.”
“We’ll see if he comes out of the woodwork and meets my challenge,” Nealon told UPI.
Kidding aside, Nealon said the key to a positive relationship with social media is that he doesn’t rely on it for his happiness.
“I just like to post things that interest me and I don’t spend a lot of time on any of those sites, TikTok, or whatever. So, I think that’s how I remain healthy with it right there,” he added.
pic.twitter.com/swh5NP0INg— Kevin Nealon (@kevin_nealon) May 25, 2026
