Parents' Guide to

Overboard (1987)

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

'80s comedy has some strong language, iffy messages.

Movie PG 1987 112 minutes
Overboard (1987) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 7 parent reviews

Double digit mom
Double digit mom Adult
February 14, 2022
age 14+

“Tits”, language, and thongs, oh my!

I loved this movie as a teen, but watched with my ten year old and that was a mistake. Teens and up without a doubt!

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Emmalovesmovies444
Emmalovesmovies444 Adult
July 31, 2019
age 14+

SEX JOKES

this movie is no bueno. It has a woman with a thong Several sex jokes SEVERAL period jokes Some weird very rapey messages(like dude no she’s not your wife don’t trick her into having sex with you) 3/10

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In OVERBOARD, Joanna Stayton (Goldie Hawn) is a bored, nasty socialite who orders a new closet for her yacht. The brusque yet charming handyman Dean Proffitt (Kurt Russell) turns up for the job, but of course, his finished product is not up to her exacting specifications, and he's fired without pay. Later, she falls overboard and loses her memory. Seeing a chance for revenge, Dean shows up at the hospital and claims her as his wife, "Annie." He brings her to his distinctly lower-class hovel, and makes her clean, cook, and care for his four boys (he's a widower). Eventually, they begin to fall in love for real, but what happens when the other shoe drops and "Annie" realizes what's really going on?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7):
Kids say (9):

Garry Marshall directs this this movie in the vein of 1930s and 1940s screwball classics, but he lacks a certain sharpness that could have kept the material in check; it wanders out of control. Hawn is very funny as the spoiled, horrible socialite, but after that first section, she has much less to do. It's uncomfortable watching as her character moans and whines about her chores, and then sadly begins to accept her lot.

Russell is a charming comic actor, and he and Hawn share a nice onscreen chemistry (they were a real-life couple until Marshall's passing in 2016), but his character in Overboard is painted as slightly vindictive and careless; he doesn't seem to care if his kids act like hooligans. What's more, the four kids have very little to do with this equation, other than to assemble for a few obligatory "cute" scenes. Happily, the great Roddy McDowall appears in a few nice scenes as Hawn's long-suffering butler.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Dean's revenge plot against Joanna in Overboard. Does it go too far? Or does she deserve what she gets?

  • Joanna is forced to cook and clean for a time. Is her character a stereotype?

  • Is the movie too sexy for a story about a family?

Movie Details

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