Overboard - 2 smiles

I can't understand why movie studios think that remaking a mediocre movie will result in box office success. Like "Overboard." The original, a 1987 production starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, was mostly a failed comedy that worked mainly because of the charm of the leads. So you remake that movie, but you don't have Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. Instead, you twist it so instead of the low-class working guy kidnapping the rich bitch white woman, this version gives us the working girl kidnapping the amnesiac rich asshole Mexican guy. Other than that, the new film proceeds pretty much the same way the old one did. Kate (Anna Faris) and Leonardo (Eugenio Derbez, a big star in Mexico), meet when she is called to clean the carpets of his yacht after a party. Following some 'cute' banter, the two argue and Leonardo pushes Kate overboard. Later, after falling off the yacht at sea and washing ashore with no memory, he is tricked by Kate into believing that they are married. She uses this as an opportunity to stay ahead of the bills while she studies for her upcoming RN tests. Leo, after some initial resistance, falls in love with hard-work, Kate's three daughters and, of course, Kate herself. Kate, meanwhile, can't bear to tell him the truth for fear she'll lose him.

Interestingly enough, Anna Faris is effective as Kate, a woman at her wits end in terms of taking care of her daughters, working two jobs and studying. It's easy to understand why Derbez is popular in Mexico, but these two lack chemistry. There's no sexual tension or romantic spark. And there's nothing to encourage us to accept the miraculous transformation Leo undergoes from self-centered jerk to hard-working, caring family man (other than wanting a happy ending). And director Rob Greenberg obvious use of the three young girls to manipulate an emotional audience response is unacceptable. The script is supposed to do this naturally. "Overboard" is a pale imitation of an original that want that great to begin with.