Many things that used to be acceptable few decades ago are seriously frowned upon today. This includes the basic premise behind the plot for Overboard, 1987 comedy directed by Gary Marshall.
Main character, played by Kurt Russell, is Dean Proffitt, widower carpenter from small coastal town of Elk Cove, Oregon, who is forced to take all kinds of jobs in order to support his four sons. One such gigs brings him to luxury yacht where arrogant rich heiress Joanna Stayton (played by Goldie Hawn) demands that he builds new closet for her shoes. Dean works hard, but Joanna is so displeased with the result that she throws him overboard without paying. Soon afterwards, the incident would allow Dean to have his revenge. Joanna falls overboard and gets picked from the sea by garbage hauling boat; she temporarily loses memory and is brought to local psychiatric hospital, with authorities not knowing her identity. When he sees her face on television, Dean comes to hospital claiming to be her husband and that her name is “Annie”. He brings her to his ramshackle home where she would have to spend next month cooking, cleaning and taking care of unruly boys and, in Dean’s mind, pay off the debt he owes him. “Annie” is at first frustrated with her situation and apparent inability to do the simplest house chores, but gradually she not only learns her way around, but wins hearts of her “children”, as well as Dean who can’t resist falling in love with his “wife”. In the meantime, Joanna’s real husband Grant Stayton III (played by Edward Herrmann) is all too happy to have his unpleasant wife away from him, but when his rich mother-in-law Edith Mintz (played by Katherine Helmond) demands to see Joanna, he knows that he must end the charade.
Leslie Dixon’s script for this film was in many ways inspired by Swept Away, 1974 Italian comedy directed by Lina Wertmüller, in which an arrogant rich woman was forced by circumstances to live with working class man. When Overboard first appeared in cinemas, the plot in which sophisticated upper class woman gets “domesticated” into good housewife made many feminists uncomfortable. In today’s age of MeToo, Dean’s deception resulting in his “marriage” being consummated would make many politically sensitive viewers angry because it would interpreted as nothing short of rape. Ideological considerations aside, Dixon’s script is flawed; it is made almost entirely out of cliches and even less experienced viewers could easily guess all plot developments. Gary Marshall, seasoned television professional and author of syrupy hit comedies, doesn’t add much to the film with his direction. Overboard suffers from problems with pacing and the ending, like so many bad comedies, tries to compensate lack of humour with action, during which character of Grant almost inexplicably transforms into complete madman.
What ultimately rescues this film, making it not only watchable but quite likeable, is the cast. Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn are real life couple and their on screen chemistry looks quite palpable and believable. Both actors are quite comfortable with each other and, despite outrageousness of the plot, play their characters with ease. Kurt Russell is very good, but Hawn, an experienced and successful comedienne, is even better, convincingly transforming her character from aloof and arrogant aristocrat into perfect embodiment of working class virtues. Four child actors playing Dean’s sons are also good, and Michael Haggerty, character actor specialised for blue collar roles, also adds a lot of down-to-earth charm as Dean’s best friend. The result is light-hearted and entertaining film that combines all the best tradition of populist and screwball comedies from Classic Hollywood era. Overboard failed to make the impact on box office, but later gradually built its own cult status on home video. Its late popularity resulted in series of various remakes in different countries, while 2018 Hollywood remake starring Anna Faris and Eugenio Derbez tried to evade some of the content issues by switching the genders of two main characters.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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