Rating: B
Remakes are Hollywood's bread and butter lately and the most recent film to join the ranks is the comedy Overboard. Originally starring Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, it tells the story of a rich, obnoxious woman, who hires a carpenter to build her a new closet while her yacht is docked. When he completes the project it is not to her liking so she fires him without pay and throws his tools and him into the ocean. Later she is walking on the deck after dark and falls into the ocean and loses her memory of who she is. Seizing the opportunity, our carpenter tricks her into believing she is his wife and uses her to help get his life together taking care of his boys and home. The two ultimately fall in love and live happily ever after when she gets her memory back. Fast forward to today and the film is getting a reimaging with the gender roles reversed and this time starring the very charming Eugenio Derbez and Anna Faris.
This film picks up in the same town as the original, just years later. Faris plays Kate, a young single mom who is working two jobs and going to school and trying to raise her three daughters. Derbez plays Leonardo a wealthy playboy who is the heir to a fortune who is partying his life away with booze and woman while living on his family's yacht. The film follows the same path as the original, except this time it is Kate who tricks Leonardo into believing he is her husband, thanks to the help of her friend Theresa (Eva Longoria).
I am not going to lie, I really did enjoy the movie. I am a huge fan of the original and while this is the same story, I like seeing it from a new perspective. Not to mention having two comedians take on the role worked great. They brought a lot of fun to the film. While it does take some time to get rolling the second half had me smiling until the credits were rolling. It is heartfelt and sweet and definitely something that is worth checking out. Derbez is charming as ever and Faris is just adorable in this role. One of the things I also loved from this film is the references that are occasionally made to the original film in some of the dialog, particularly in the hospital scene.
People will harp on this film for being just another crappy Hollywood remake without ever seeing it and I feel like that is a mistake. Give the movie a chance before jumping on the critical bandwagon and you may just be surprised. Overall, I have to give this film a solid B. It was cute and is worth a watch if you liked the original film.
Overboard hits theaters everywhere May 4th.