Overboard Reviews

Offscreen companions Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell are paired in this screwball comedy by director Garry Marshall. Joanna Stayton (Hawn) is the pampered wife of an upper-crust twit (Edward Herrmann). When their luxurious yacht docks in Elk Cove, Joanna summons local carpenter Dean Proffitt (Russell) to rebuild her closet. She is revolted by his earthiness; he finds her regal disdain unbearable. When he builds the closet of oak rather than cedar, Joanna not only refuses to pay but pushes him overboard. That night, back at sea, Joanna falls overboard, is rescued, and returned to Elk Cove. However, she remembers nothing of her privileged past. Proffitt, bent on revenge, identifies her as his wife Annie and takes her to the rundown house he shares with his four undisciplined sons. OVERBOARD aspires to be a wacky, heart-warming screwball comedy, but it is neither memorable nor particularly funny. Hawn and Russell have both shown themselves capable of bringing this kind of light comedy to life, but even their likable screen presences aren't enough. In the absence of witty repartee, screenwriter Leslie Dixon serves up one-liners and their visual equivalents with the regularity of a tennis trainer. Some of them connect, most of them don't, and many are simply stupid.