‘Overboard’ takes on water, but doesn’t sink completely
Overboard is the latest Eugenio Derbez, Pantelion film, and it is a remake of the 1987 film that starred Kurt Russel and Goldie Hawn. In this 2018 version, Eugenio Derbez plays Leonardo Montenegro, a rich and spoiled daddy’s boy who spends his days partying with women on his multi-million dollar yacht. He has the attitude and personality of a 7-year-old, with no sense of responsibility for his actions, no consideration for those around him and no respect whatsoever for other human beings. He is a completely unlikable character.
Anna Farris plays Kate a struggling mother of three daughters; she works two jobs and goes to school with the intention of becoming a nurse. One of the jobs Kate has is as a carpet cleaner. On an odd stroke of luck (maybe bad luck) she gets assigned to clean the carpet on the yacht owned by Leonardo, the son of one of the wealthiest men alive. Not surprisingly, he treats her in an insulting and demeaning manner but she stands up for herself against his unfairness.
Later, after an unfortunate incident, Leonardo Montenegro finds himself lost on a beach with no memory of his life, almost nobody recognizes him (which is kind of iffy since he is the son of a very wealthy man), except for Kate who has just had that awful experience with him. After some persuasion by one of her friends, she decides to use Leonardo’s memory loss to her advantage and have him work for her well-being under the illusion that they used to be husband and wife.
The premise sounds like something straight out of a soap opera, and that is because it is like something pulled straight from a soap opera. To its credit, the movie knows it and doesn’t try to resist it, but rather rides that tide.
I was extremely unenthusiastic when walking into this movie, I thought it would just play off of Mexican clichés and cater too much to one very specific audience, ignoring completely story, characters, themes and everything else that makes a movie good.
To a certain extent this was true. The film does cater at times to a specific audience, and though I felt included in that audience because I come from a Mexican family and am well-versed in modern Mexican culture and comedy, I can’t help but think about the people who are alienated by the very specific references and jokes. I think this hurts the film overall. Nevertheless, there are plenty of times when the film is more universal in its scope, and most of those moments are when Anna Farris is on screen.
The life of Kate is completely relatable. We have all gone through difficulties in our own way and been in a situation where we couldn’t find a way out, and Farris delivers an enchanting performance as Kate. The story might seem very goofy (because it is goofy), but it also set up for some nice moments throughout.
Still, much of the time you are aware you are watching a movie. In other words, it’s difficult to get immersed into the screen. This is partly due to the foolishness of the plot and direction. It will go from an emotional moment to an over-the-top, shallow scene at the drop of a hat.
The film does not know when to take itself seriously and when not to. This is most apparent whenever the Montenegro family is on screen. Then the plot just throws everything it was building out the window and goes on the goofy cartoon-esque ride. There is a specific theme that comes on most times the Montenegro’s appear, and it illustrates perfectly the point I am trying to make. It is just this ridiculous, annoying music, but it is only in some parts of the film. And this is how I mostly felt about this film. There is most definitely some bad to it, BUT it is not all bad. There are some interactions that are very attractive and you want to see more of, such as a subplot of brotherhood and friendship that is explored a bit while Leonardo is doing some of the hardest work he’s ever done. These were some of my favorite parts.
While this film is far from perfect, it is scattered with surprisingly charming and endearing bits that keep it fun to the point you are willing to watch until the end. The themes of hard work, appreciation for others and not taking things for granted all make you leave with a very good taste in your mouth and some very worthwhile messages. There might be scenes and moments that are cringe-worthy. but soon after there will probably be a moment that makes you laugh a bit and feel a bit, and these are what keep this movie going.