Man Overboard!
Hello Dear Readers, I am back! I am sorry for leaving you for so long, but you know what they say, “Duty calls!” Now that I am back though I wanted to come back with something fun and upbeat. I am in the middle of going through all the movies I own just to say I have watched them all and to check and make sure they are still in working condition aka no skipping or scratches on the surface.
As I was going through my box, I ran into one of my favorite movies, Overboard. This movie was one of the first movies my mom and I watched together as a girl’s night when I was younger. Ever since then I have cherished the movie and the memory of my mom and I sitting on her bed snuggled together as we laugh at the great rom-com. Fast forward a couple years to 2018 when a reboot where the main roles are gender swapped. The storyline is the same but the acting and characters are just different enough that it was a refreshing take on the story.
Overboard (1987) summary:
Snobbish and wealthy Joanna Stayton (Goldie Hawn) is living a life of leisure with her husband, Grant (Edward Herrmann), when she falls off their yacht and suffers amnesia. Grant takes the opportunity to rid himself of the demanding Joanna -- but Dean (Kurt Russell), a widowed carpenter with four kids who once worked for Joanna, arrives and claims she's his wife. Joanna can't remember her past identity, but has trouble believing that she was ever meant to be a working-class mother of four.
Overboard (2018) summary:
Kate is a single, working-class mother of three who's hired to clean a luxury yacht that belongs to Leonardo -- a selfish, spoiled and wealthy Mexican playboy. After unjustly firing Kate, Leonardo falls off the boat and wakes up with no memory of who he is. To get payback, Kate shows up at the hospital and convinces the confused amnesiac that they're married. As Leonardo tries to get used to manual labor and his new family, Kate starts to wonder how long she can keep fooling her fake husband.
Now that you have an idea of what the movies are about, I want to dive into three main points on why I think this movie is super important.
1. Both main characters grow into a mood of appreciation not only for one another but for what they have.
2. There is a big emphasis on social economic class and love, like can the love of money over come feelings of true love.
3. The last one is the value of family whether it is blood family or found family, which in this case we will focus a little more of found family.
WARNING SPOILERS ALERT!
First up the art of appreciation for what you have been given. When we first meet Joanna and Leonardo, they are rich and snobby people who are used to getting what they want. This all changes when they end up with amnesia and are now thrown into a world of work and parenting. At first it was hard to get adjusted and the family did not help much. But as time goes on they start to step into a role they were not sure they could hold and started to appreciate the little things that made them feel safe. In turn, Dean and Kate are also starting to appreciate the help around the house and slowly realize that the pay back is beginning to turn into something else. When Leonardo and Joanna all the sudden get their memory back and leave because they “don’t belong there,” they start to realize they do not belong in their old life anymore either. Collin, Leonardo’s butler, tells Leonardo, “You have had the privilege to see life from a whole new perspective.” Although it may not have been a glamorous life, they both really took to the whole parenting thing and even started enjoying it.
The next main point is about the emphasis of social economic class and love. The two main characters are so opposite both in lifestyle and social status. Leo and Joanna lived their whole lives in the rich world and never really saw how awful they treated people. When the tables turned, they were not ready for the real world, or in other words the “poor” world. Leo and Joanna, struggling at first, took the bull by the horns and ran with it. Did they question their place there? Yes. Did it stop them from pouring their hearts into the kids? No. Their parental instinct kicked in and they were just happy with what they had. They felt fulfilled in a way that money could never fill in their hearts. In the end, Leo and Joanna regained their memory and left to go back to their normal life, but that life was no longer the same. They felt empty and realized living the rich life they had everything they ever wanted but living the family life was more fulfilling. When Joanna went back to Dean she was able to bring the money with her because it turns out she was actually the rich one, but Leo was completely cut off and when returning to Kate he left everything behind.
The last point I want to make, about why I love these movies. is the value of found family. Found family means that the family you claim may not be blood, but you treat each other like you were blood related. This is a pretty big concept now a days and I love the idea of someone finding a family that they can turn to for help if they are unable to go to their own family members. Leo and Joanna’s found family came at first with the kids. Immediately you could tell that the kids were into the idea of having another adult figure in the house to mess around with, but they quickly realized that they were not the enemy but instead a kind and loving parent. Joanna taught the boys discipline, fun, and reading. She treated them with respect and kindness. Leo let the girls be themselves and treated them like any dad would. He taught them how to ride a bike, taught better Spanish technique, and supported them in sports. They fit into the parental role well, and eventually filled in the position of loving partner.
One of the hardest parts to watch in the movies is when Leo and Joanna leave. Not only is it sad because they realize that Dean and Kate used them, but they leave the kids and when those kids run up to the car and start yelling and crying it just rips your heart out. It shows that Leo and Joanna made a difference in the lives of the people around them. The reason why they were unhappy going back to their old life is because they were torn away from their true family. A family that truly cares about them and loves them for who they are and not because they are rich.
One of the best lines from Overboard (1987) is when Dean asks Joanna, “What could I possibly give you that you don’t already have?” Joanna takes a moment and looks at the boys with adoration written on her face. She looks at Dean and says, “A little girl?” That right there folks is love. I don’t know why that line makes my heart so happy, but the only conclusion I can come up with is that it shows that Joanna is in it for the long haul.
In the 2018 version, Leo had a choice; stay with his family and keep all of the money, or be with Kate and the girls and be completely cut off. When he chooses Kate and the girls most people would think that was foolish, but Leo knew what he wanted and he was willing to face whatever consequences came from it as long as he had his girls by his side.
I hope, Dear Readers, that you are living the life you want to and that you are filling it with love. Do not let life pass you by because then you might miss out on a great opportunity. Take a look at your life, are you satisfied with the outcome? Are you living the best life you can be? I hope you take a minute and think about those questions and maybe reflect on them.
Until then,
Peace out Lovers!
