Overboard - 7 stars out of 10

Overboard - 7 stars out of 10

What could be better than watching Kurt Russell be mean to Goldie Hawn for an extended period of time?  "Overboard" may sound cheesy and stereotypical (and it is for the first hour), but it is hilarious!  It starts off as a screwball comedy but ends up being an incredibly heartwarming film.  Hawn's emotionless acting at the beginning of this film made me wonder if I would make it to the end, but it was the perfect compliment to her alter ego.  Russell makes such a great instigator and his immaturity eventually makes way for success.  The film was probably a bit too long but the script energizes the story each time that it begins to drag, particularly with some of the dialogue from the kids' mouths (particularly that line about the Brady Bunch) is hysterical.  The film features an uncharacteristic score by Alan Sylvestri, transforming from playful Leave It To Beaver-esque music to stereotypical 80's montage music to a Romanticized theme that rips off the piano part from the end of "Layla" by Cream, and then back again.  Despite a few odd moments (particularly the aforementioned music and all of the acting by Edward Herrmann), "Overboard" is a great family film with plenty of laughs and a predictably perfect ending.