Overboard

photo courtesy of redandblack.com

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     Overboard is a remake of the 1987 romantic comedy of the same name. The movie stars Eugenio Derbez as Leonardo, the heir to one of the world’s largest fortunes, and Anna Faris as Kate, a mom struggling to raise three daughters paycheck-to-paycheck. When Leonardo gets amnesia after falling off his yacht, Kate decides to trick him into thinking they’re married. What could go wrong?

     Despite its more culturally inclusive, gender-swapped approach to the original plot, Overboard feels remarkably old-fashioned. It’s a combination of things: the premise’s inherent absurdity, the humor’s unpretentious simplicity, the characters’ heartwarming story arcs. There’s a certain genial quality that comes from the movie’s ability to tap into the past.

photo courtesy of variety.com

     But while Overboard’s retro rom-com style gives it some crucial charm, it can’t overcome the movie’s fundamental lack of substance. Overboard is unfunny, which is sort of a damning quality in a comedy. Several good quips come the supporting cast (Eva Longoria, Mel Rodriguez, Josh Segarra), and Derbez supplies physical comedy in a few scenes, but otherwise Overboard is a pretty humorless experience. There are few things more uncomfortable or more tedious than sitting through a movie that’s trying and failing to be funny.

     Overboard makes a much stronger effort in the “feel-good” department, anchored by Eugenio Derbez’s charismatic performance. At its emotional core, this is a movie about two self-centered people coming to appreciate the value of being together, and the filmmakers get that point across intact. The impact is softened, however, by Kate’s sheer unlikability. The audience grows to like Leonardo; he learns his lesson and grows as a character. Kate, on the other hand, is presented as a sympathetic character from the get-go, but ends up being just as unlikeable or unethical as Leonardo has been. Without a sympathetic character for much of the runtime, then, Overboard struggles to keep the audience invested in the action.

photo courtesy of slashfilm.com

     FINAL VERDICT: Overboard might have enough good-natured spirit for some viewers, but without much else to recommend it, it quickly flounders/sinks/capsizes/other boat-failure-related terms.

Watch the trailer here.

photo courtesy of comingsoon.net