The plot of the movie Overboard is one thing most haven’t experienced or ever will experience in their lifetime. The premise of the 1987 film: poor man meets rich woman, woman is snobby and disrespectful to man, woman falls overboard and gets amnesia, man pretends they are married with three boys and they end up falling for each other and getting married. If you’ve seen the recent version of Overboard, released May 4 then you’re probably thinking this sounds familiar. For those of you who haven’t watched the 2018 remake of Overboard, imagine the same plotline with the roles reversed. The “new” take on the film includes a conceited rich man and a women with three kids who struggles to keep the family afloat.
If the plot of Overboard is the same, then why remake an adorable movie that has stood the test of time? The new version of Overboard can easily compare to the original because it only borrows the basics of the plot. The 2018 movie adds a cultural element to the plot. The directors specifically cast a Mexican actor to get the message filmmakers are always trying to get across to the audience which is cultural and religious acceptance.
When Joanna, the original character of the 1987 version of Overboard is introduced, she wears fancy bikinis and sun hats while refusing to do anything to help her servants. The 2018 version easily compares, as Leonardo, played by Eugenio Derbez, is always surrounded by beautiful women and he never lifts a finger to help anyone. The movie softens both characters throughout the movie, teaching the real meaning of love and family.
Both Leonardo and Joanna don’t believe they are married, but they both end up leaving with their “husband” or “wife” for the same reasons. The doctors in the hospital so easily accept the fact that they are married because they don’t want to have to deal with the snobby attitude given to them. In the original, Joanna ends up leaving the hospital because her fake husband proved she had a birthmark on her butt. He pretended that he knew because they were married, but he only knew because of the bikini Joanna wore. This is similar to the new movie in which Leonardo shows a tattoo he has on his butt so that he can be identified by his fake wife.
The original reinforces the traditional ideas of family because Joanna learns how to cook and clean for the family. The new version enforces the idea that a man can take on responsibilities that women are usually given. Leonardo cooks and cleans for the family while Kate (the woman pretending to be his wife) studies to become a nurse.
Overboard teaches the value of family and helping each other by showing that money is not as important as the people you care about.
