Review: Classic But Slight Rom-Com 'Overboard' Gets Great Blu-ray Release from Severin

Of all the couples that made a decent living out of portraying lovers on the big screen, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell remain one of the most famous. That's for good reason, of course, as their real-life love for each other sometimes felt like Hollywood alchemy at its finest. Their screwball energy felt welcome even when the scripts failed to capitalize fully on their power. Garry Marshall's 1987 rom-com "Overboard," a film brought up immediately whenever the Hawn-Russell duo enters conversation, has plenty of their energy despite being used for relatively mean-spirited and dated purposes. Even where the narrative lacks, Hawn and Russell have an unmistakable chemistry.

"Overboard" arrives on Blu-ray from Severin Films with a new 1080p presentation sourced from a new 2K scan. Although the scan is on the fuzzier side, colors are organic and there's not much noise caused from the sometimes-blocky grain. That being said, this is still the best the film has looked at home, and the mono audio tracks are all in great shape. There's an interview with screenwriter Leslie Dixon attached that's breezy and conversational, with a couple of tidbits I'm sure fans of Hawn and Russell will enjoy. This kind of film is clearly not Severin's usual bread and butter, but it still has the company's sturdy touch and attention.

Snooty heiress Joanna Stayton (Goldie Hawn) goes from riches to rags after she falls over the side of her yacht, gets washed ashore, and develops amnesia. When she ends up on the news with a reward for any information given about her, down-on-his-luck carpenter Dean Proffitt (Kurt Russell) takes the opportunity to get revenge on the woman who once scorned him and threw his tools into the sea. But how? By pretending that Joanna is his wife and subjecting her to the life of a poor person. Dean's gaggle of hormonal male children and the Proffitt's ramshackle home drive Joanna to despair.

There are many fans of "Overboard" who note that the couple's on-screen chemistry helps elevate it above its somewhat rote narrative. While I don't think that's entirely true, I will say that the film is an interesting case study of how Hawn and Russell's prowess kind of directs this kind of film. When all else fails, you can literally just point the camera at the duo and they'll be able to conjure something up. And, unfortunately, the script does fail to upend the dated notions of the class roles that both Joanna and Dean occupy.

Despite my misgivings with the film itself, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better release of "Overboard" apart from Severin's treatment. I, for one, think it's cool for labels like Severin to branch out of their usual comfort zone with something like this.

Other special features include:

� Trailer

"Overboard" is now available on Blu-ray from Severin Films.