Goldie Hawn has been in many movies that I have liked. Most of her movies have been comedies, though she has done a few that were more serious as well. I have also liked many of the movies that Kurt Russell has been in. I really enjoyed Overboard, a movie that they made together.
Joanna Stayton was a very wealthy woman who believed she was better than everyone because of the way her mother Edith raised her. Her husband Grant wasn't any better. Joanna especially treated any servants, like their butler Andrew, horribly. Joanna and Grant were stuck in a small town for a few days and Joanna decided to hire a local carpenter, Dean Proffitt, to redo her closet on the yacht. She treated him horribly and then claimed he did the work wrong and refused to pay once he was done. Soon after that, Joanna fell off the yacht and ended up in the local hospital with amnesia.
Grant knew that Joanna was there, but he saw her having amnesia as his opportunity to ditch his wife and go wild partying. When Dean discovered what happened, he saw his chance to get even with Joanna. He went to the hospital and claimed that she was his wife Annie. He intended for her to act as his maid for a while and take care of his four somewhat wild sons, Charlie, Joey, Greg, and Travis. Even though her memory was gone, she was convinced she didn’t belong with Dean.
The plot for Overboard wasn’t that complicated even though there was a lot going on. Time was taken to introduce the characters while the situation was set up. Most of the movie focused on what happened once Dean took Joanna/Annie home and how she tried to adjust to life as a housewife. The boys and Dean’s friend Billy knew the truth and went along with Dean’s plan. The movie was predictable overall and didn’t really have any surprises. That didn’t keep me from enjoying the movie, but it could be too predictable for some viewers. Some of the things that Dean told Joanna/Annie about her life weren’t the most believable like how she was turning twenty-nine at one point.
I thought that Overboard was a fairly funny movie overall. Most of the funny things happened once Joanna/Annie was at Dean’s house trying to deal with taking care of the house and four boys. She had no clue how to do anything and ended up in some unique or funny situations because of that. The humor could be too silly for some people. There was a little bit of gross humor provided by the boys, but it wasn’t anything too offensive or extreme. The boys did use vulgar language and even used profanity at times. The movie was rated PG. I’m thinking it would be rated PG-13 if it was released as a new movie now.
The relationship between Dean and Joanna/Annie played a big part in Overboard. It was based on a lie and what Dean did wasn’t nice, but it did get stronger as the movie progressed. Joanna and Dean couldn’t stand each other when they first met and it only got worse by the time Dean finished the job. There wasn’t any sort of closeness between them at first when Dean acted on his plan to claim that she was his wife. Later in the movie there was a connection between them that did seem believable. There was a sex scene between them that didn’t really show that much even though some skin was shown. There were a few sexual remarks by different characters throughout the movie, including some made by the boys.
Joanna wasn’t a nice woman when Overboard began. She was very arrogant and looked down on everyone, especially servants. She still had some of the same attitude after she lost her memory. After spending some time at Dean’s thinking she was his wife and the mother of his sons, she did start to act differently. I really liked Goldie Hawn in the part. Dean was trying to do the best he could to raise his sons alone and he didn’t always do the best things. His frustration and anger with the horrible way that Joanna had treated him caused him to think up his plan and basically make her his maid. What he did wasn’t nice, but he wasn’t a bad person overall. I also liked Kurt Russell in this part. He and Hawn have made a few movies togther. I believe this one was made not to long after they started their relationship. That might be why there was a believable connection between them.
Dean’s best friend Billy turned up in several scenes. He was in on the plan concerning Joanna and thought it was a great idea. He really wasn’t that developed, so Michael Hagerty didn’t have that much to do with the part. Dean’s sons did turn up in several scenes, but they really weren’t developed that much. They were all wild and somewhat out of control and loved the idea that Dean came up with to say Joanna was his wife. The boys’ teacher made a few short appearances without doing that much.
Grant was just as self-absorbed as Joanna. He didn’t care about anyone else, not even his wife. Their marriage wasn’t that happy, so he jumped at what he saw as his chance at freedom when Joanna ended up with amnesia. Edward Herrmann handled the part well. Andrew worked for Joanna and Grant as their butler. Joanna frequently was rude to him and expected him to do unreasonable things on her whim. Roddy McDowall was really good in the part. Edith, Joanna’s mother, turned up in a few scenes. She had passed her own arrogant attitude on to Joanna. Katherine Helmond was really good in the part even though she didn’t have many scenes.
Main Cast
Michael Hagerty - Billy Goldie Hawn - Joanna Stayton/Annie Proffitt Katherine Helmond - Edith Edward Herrmann - Grant Stayton III Roddy McDowall - Andrew Brian Price - Travis Proffitt Jared Rushton - Charlie Proffitt Kurt Russell - Dean Proffitt Jamie Wild - Greg Proffitt Jeffrey Wiseman - Joey Proffitt
Gary Marshall - Director
I first saw Overboard on video many years ago. Since then, I have seen it several more times on television. When the movie turns up on television, it is edited to remove some swearing and suggestive remarks. I’m not sure if the movie is available on DVD or not.
I still really enjoy Overboard when I watch it. The movie is funny and entertaining even though what Dean did was a bit mean. Fans of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell should give it a chance.
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell dazzle the screen in this buoyant and screwball comedy of memory-making and memory-faking. One of Hollywood s most dynami...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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