Overboard

On a sun drenched yacht, heiress Joanna Stayton hires a skilled carpenter named Dean Proffitt to install a built in closet and later refuses to pay when the job is finished. Their clashes are frequent and pointed as she treats wealth and status like armor while he speaks in blunt, working class terms. A freak accident drops Joanna overboard and she returns home with memory loss, stripping away her polished image and the security of her fortune. Dean senses a chance to tilt the scales by reshaping their dynamic and dragging Joanna into his life and routines. What follows is a comic tug of wills where pride, wit and romance collide amid mistaken identities and chaotic schemes. The film keeps the stakes light while warming toward a sincere, if unlikely, connection.

Directed by Garry Marshall and released in 1987, Overboard is built from an original screenplay by Leslie Dixon. Goldie Hawn stars opposite Kurt Russell in a breezy comedy about wealth and class clash, driven by sparkling chemistry and a sun drenched coastal setting.

Made on a 22,000,000 budget, Overboard earned 26,700,000 worldwide, turning a modest profit for a mid 80s comedy. The film found its audience through repeat viewings on home video and frequent television airings years after its release.

The movie endures as a bright example of an amnesia based rom com premise and helped pair Hawn and Russell as a go to duo for light hearted misadventures. Its setup continues to surface in parodies and late night sketches, reminding audiences of its carefree spirit.

Critics noted the brisk pace and the lively chemistry between the leads, while some dismissed the film as a lightweight clash of class tropes. Beyond the laughs, it probes pride, hospitality, and empathy across social divides within a bright, crowd pleasing romantic frame.