Overboard (2018)

Directed by: Rob Greenberg | 88 minutes | comedy, romance | Actors: Eugenio Derbez, Anna Faris, Eva Longoria, John Hannah, Swoosie Kurz, Mel Rodriguez, Josh Segarra, Hannah Nordberg, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Payton Lepinski, Fernando Luján, Cecilia Suárez, Mariana Treviño, Jesús Ochoa, Omar Chaparro

Better well stolen than poorly conceived, right? Directing duo Bob Fisher and Rob Greenberg embraced this motto, resulting in Overboard, which is a remake of the 1987 film of the same name. Hollywood stars Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell starred in the original. In this re-imagining, Anna ‘Scary Movie’ Faris and the hugely popular Eugenio Derbez in their homeland of Mexico must lead the way.

The wealthy playboy Leonardo (Eugenio Derbez) lives on the pocket of his financially very wealthy Mexican family. Spending money is his biggest hobby. He doesn’t have to work for it. That changes when this unhinged hedonist thunders off his yacht. He wakes up with amnesia. The shrewd single mother Kate (Anna Fariz) claims to be his wife. The amnesia-plagued Leonardo does not know that just before that he was very condescending to Kate, who is now out for revenge. How does this end?

For a remake of a 31 year old movie, this ‘Overboard’ is surprisingly identical to the original. The biggest differences are in the fact that the role pattern has changed. In this version, Faris plays the part of Russell and Derbez takes the honors of Hawn. Although Derbez quite often gets close to the irritation line with his acting, he still remains fairly sympathetic. His charm saves him. Faris is an underrated actress. Her comedic timing is very good and she is also good with physical comedy. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have a great nose for movie roles and often ends up in rather bland productions where her talents come out well, but which you don’t watch for pleasure. ‘Scary Movie 2’ and ‘Movie 43’ are good examples of this. ‘Overboard’ is not as disastrous as the aforementioned films, but it never rises above mediocrity.

However, if you’re planning to watch this (predictable) rom-com, do it for Faris. Her catchy playing is the best part of this production. If you’ve already seen the original, you can safely skip this remake. This retelling doesn’t break new ground and lacks the charm of the eighties classic.