Overboard Synopsis: A cruel but beautiful heiress mocks and cheats a hired carpenter. When she gets amnesia after an accident, he decides to introduce her to regular life by convincing her they’re husband and wife.
Joanna is a spoiled heiress who refuses to pay Dean, a carpenter, for work done on her yacht. Later, when Joanna falls overboard, she begins to suffer from amnesia. Her jerk of a husband decides to pretend he doesn’t know her, and Dean sees Joanna’s situation as a way to get revenge for the way she treated him.
He convinces the police that they’re married, and he takes her to his dumpy house to introduce her to her five rowdy children. Joanna, now known as Annie, has difficulty adjusting to her life, but Dean begins to see her in a new light when she adapts and takes care of things.
So, first things first. This is a pretty creepy concept, even for the ’80s. Dean more or less kidnaps Joanna/Annie and forces her to live in squalor with five misbehaving children. He’s a terrible father, and it shows. Joanna/Annie was a rich bitch, sure, but at one point, does Dean’s abusive behavior cross the line? Thankfully, the movie doesn’t dwell on it too long, though that doesn’t excuse it, mind you. But in order to somewhat enjoy this movie, you can’t dwell on it either.
Joanna begins to take charge of the household and the children as well. With some parental discipline, they start to shape up. Dean comes around eventually, but I never felt like his character evolved in the way Joanna/Annie deserved. I can see how this particular narrative puts some people off. Joanna is a spoiled and demanding woman, yet when she becomes domesticated as “Annie,” she becomes more nurturing. Okay, yes, it was 1987, but it is still reinforcing those particular gender stereotypes.
Overboard is not a particularly good romantic comedy, but it’s not terrible, either. Honestly, the chemistry between real-life partners Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn1 makes this movie work. They’re so good together. Russell excels at playing the man-child father, and Goldie strikes a nice balance between a spoiled rich girl and a lovable girl next door. I’m not sure this movie would be as enjoyable with anyone else in those roles. At the same time, Joanna and Dean’s romance blossoms under false pretenses. Should we root for them to find their way? Or does Joanna deserve better than a dude who would lie to her while she has amnesia to punish her?
Edward Herrmann plays Joanna’s philandering, neglectful husband. I swear he was born for these kinds of roles. I also enjoyed Katherine Helmond as Joanna’s prickly mother. But the movie was a bit underwhelming, and while Dean and Joanna became better people together, the premise itself is just a bit too creepy for me to ignore it entirely and award this a higher score. Compared to other problematic movies in the 80s, Overboard is harmless enough, but it’s more or less a mediocre rom-com, and there are other Garry Marshall films I would steer you to first.
But I’m glad I finally saw it, and maybe I will eventually watch the remake with Anna Faris, but I’m not sure Overboard will be a rom-com I feel like rewatching in the future. If you’re a fan of Russell and Hawn, or even Garry Marshall, then sure, give this a watch.
Watched: 05/19/2021
Notable Song: Can’t Help But Falling In Love by Elvis Presley
