"Overboard" is a gem of a movie. It stands far above the vast wasteland of made for TV movies. What makes it so memorable for me, even after 20 years, is that it breaks all of the usual formulas and rules, shedding the obvious action-adventure treatment for something truly different and in my opinion far better, and deeper.
Filmed on location in the South Pacific with excellent photography and production values, director John Newland weaves the tale and the able cast into a rich fabric that will keep you thinking for a long time to come. Though the characters are well developed, they are intentionally ambiguous, inviting personal interpretation.
The director and cast peel back the layers of a troubled couple's relationship: the human emotions; the failings; the ambitions; and the hidden agendas, and strike a very dark, ominous tone. It's moody, broody and nostalgic, but strangely satisfying. It grabs you and pulls you in. Like it or not, you are dragged along as if by a powerful force of nature. You think you know where the sailboat is headed, and perhaps the characters as well. But you don't!
How well do we really know each other? And ourselves?