Reviews

Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell star in Overboard, a quirky romantic-comedy that keeps the laughs coming from start to finish. Overboard is directed by Garry Marshall, who also directed beloved classics such as Pretty Woman, The Princess Diaries, Beaches, and Valentine's Day. The film was released in 1987 and was set in Elk Cove, Oregon.

Overboard is a story of revenge gone wrong. Dean Proffitt (Kurt Russell) is a widower with four sons and little money. He has recently moved to Elk Cove, a small coastal town in Oregon, where he works as a carpenter. Meanwhile, Joanna Stayton (Goldie Hawn) is a rich heiress who spends her days sunbathing on her luxury yacht. Joanna hires Dean to remodel her closet and he learns the hard way that Joanna is not a very nice person. When Dean presents Joanna with the final project, she is infuriated that the closet was made with the wrong type of wood and refuses to pay Dean for his three days of work. When Dean demands to be paid for his service, Joanna pushes him off the yacht and throws all of his tools into the ocean. Later that night, Joanna realizes that she left her wedding ring out on the deck and orders her husband, Grant, to go retrieve it. When he ignores her, she decides to go get it herself, however, in a karmic moment, Joanna trips and falls overboard into the ocean. She yells in vein for her husband and servants and watches as her yacht sails away into the night. The next morning Joanna is discovered by a garbage scow and is taken to a nearby hospital where it is discovered that she is suffering from amnesia. Grant arrives to claim her as his wife but after witnessing Joanna throwing an angry fit, decides to abandon her. Meanwhile, Dean sees Joanna's picture on the news and develops a plan to get her back for cheating him out of his money. Dean arrives at the hospital and claims to be her husband. He tells her that her name is Annie Proffitt and takes her to his rundown home. "Annie" (Joanna) is disgusted by his home and is shocked to discover that she has four sons. As Dean makes her his own personal live-in slave, "Annie" tries to understand how she ever fit into this life. As "Annie" tries to regain her memory, Dean and his sons begin to like having a wife and mother figure around again and this situation leads to a delightfully entertaining journey of self-discovery and love.

Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn are brilliant and their chemistry is undeniable. Hawn does an excellent job at convincing the audience that she is a spoiled rotten bitch; yet at the same time is likable enough to garner sympathy for the predicament she is in. Meanwhile, Russell plays up his boyish charms and gets the audiences' support and understanding despite being a little irresponsible and deceitful. Russell and Hawn develop the relationship of Dean and Annie/Joanna beautifully and make the transgression realistic and believable.

The music for the movie was done by Alan Silvestri and greatly adds to the emotions of the movie. For the most part, the music is very fast and comic sounding relying on rapid high pitch interchanging of stringed instruments mingled with deeper undertones which offers a very country, down-home, humble type of feel. The music is very different towards the end of the film as Annie/Joanna is discovering things about herself that she does not necessarily like—the music becomes much more forlorn and gives a sense of longing. Silvestri does a wonderful job of complementing the emotions of the sense with the tonalities of the score.

Overall, Overboard is a charming comedy with a great cast and unique storyline. It is not the typical 80's movie with all the teenage melodrama, but it is still a wonderful product of the feel-good cinematic era. I would highly recommend this movie, as it is great for all ages. This movie is timeless and will keep the viewer laughing until the very end.

Walt Disney's beloved theme park ride comes to life in the hilariously entertaining comedy-action film, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). Pirates stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley with a supporting cast of Jack Davenport, Lee Arenberg, Mackenzie Crook, Kevin McNally, and Zoe Saldana. Set in the picturesque 18th century Spanish Main (part of the New World empire), Pirates of the Caribbean delivers an exhilarating adventure that will keep the viewers coming back for more!

The film opens with young Will Turner (Bloom) being rescued from a ship wreck by Captain Norrington's (Davenport) crew as they are sailing from England to Port Royal. Young Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) is present and discovers a medallion on the unconscious Will. She steals it, fearing he is a pirate. Eight years later, Elizabeth, who just happens to be the governor's daughter, has become quite the beauty and has captured the attention of both Captain-soon-to-be-Commodore Norrington and the all-grown-up Will Turner. Elizabeth is secretly in love with Will, however, she is unable to profess her love due to his lowly status as a blacksmith. Elizabeth's life is further complicated by the arrival of the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow who after threatening Miss Swann and crossing blades with Turner, is thrown in jail. To make matters worse, a band of pirates lead by Captain Barbossa attack Port Royal and abducts Elizabeth in search of the medallion she possesses. Desperate to rescue Elizabeth, Will enlists Jack's help, who only agrees to help in order to get back his beloved ship, The Black Pearl, stolen by Barbossa. With this unlikely pair, a damsel in distress, a villainous crew of pirates who aren't all that they appear to be and plenty of sword fighting, Pirates leads its viewers on a swashbuckling adventure with an explosive finale.

Gore Verbinski does a fantastic job at directing this film, engaging the audience from start to finish. With contrasting scenes of light and dark, choppy angled camera shots and breathtaking panoramas of the Caribbean islands and sea, Verbinski puts the audience at the center of the adventure. After all, Pirates is based on a theme park ride, and the movie is nothing short of exciting. For example, during the epic ship battle scene, Verbinski alternates low angle, close-up shots of the ships' bows pitching in the waves with high angle, long shots of the whole ship and its crews fighting. He also uses a plethora of close-up cannons going off and guns being fired in succession with facial expressions to convey the intensity of the situation, providing an utterly thrilling sequence of scenes that creates a vicarious experience for the audience.

Above all else, however, is the impeccable performance by Johnny Depp. Borrowing mannerisms from rocker Keith Richards and adding his own drunken- inspired flair, Depp is convincing as a seasoned pirate with a vendetta on a no holds barred quest. Depp reaches deep into himself to bring Captain Jack Sparrow to life, completely immersing himself into his character and capturing the audience with his bad-boy charm and devil-may-care attitude mixed with his feminine swaying walk and "guy-liner." Balancing Sparrow between villain and hero, Depp enchants the audience into sympathizing with Jack. Much of Depp's brilliance as Sparrow is conveyed solely through the body language of Jack. Even when he has no lines, Depp's Sparrow engages the audience through quirky facial expressions and woozy bodily movements; even when he is an observing character he keeps the attention on him. Perhaps Depp's most crowning moment comes when Sparrow is marooned on an island with the beautiful Elizabeth Swann. Depp manages to play off Jack's unrestrained interest in Miss Swann without offsetting the audience who has already invested in Will and Elizabeth's love for one another, and when Elizabeth burns all of his rum, Depp brilliantly portrays Jack's baffled rage in what may be the funniest portion of the film. Although a great movie by itself, Depp elevates the film to epic status.

All in all, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a wonderfully entertaining film that is great for all ages. Classic and original all in once, Pirates of the Caribbean is not your average pirate epic, but a fresh and captivating story with traditional underscores. This film is a must see for anyone who enjoys an action packed, adventure with lovable and endearing characters and larger than life special effects.