A remake of the 1987 comedy Overboard is coming out with one change – the genders of the two main characters have been swapped. Does the switch make the plot any less creepy, though?
The movie tells the story of two people, one rich and one poor. Then the rich person gets amnesia by falling, wait for it, overboard, off their yacht. The poor person, who has been mistreated by the aforementioned rich person, takes this opportunity to usher in some sort of poetic justice by convincing them that they are married. While the remake seems to stay true to the plot of the original, instead of a rich and rude woman, originally played by Goldie Hawn, it is now Leonardo Derbez in the role of the rich person who needs to learn the value of hard work and compassion. Rather than a carpenter, played by Kurt Russell, the role of "poor person" is now a housecleaner played by Anna Faris. When Faris brings Derbez home to work multiple jobs and help take care of "their" three children, he has no choice but to go along with it.
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While hijinx, hilarity, and eventually romance ensue, does the gender switch make the reality of the plot – kidnapping, Stockholm syndrome, and class comeuppance – any less creepy? It could just as easily be classified as a psychological thriller or a revenge fantasy as it could a romantic comedy. Regardless of it now being a woman kidnapping a man, it still doesn't quite sit right.
It would appear that the remake is attempting to negate some of the creepiness of the plot by making it more of a "sticking it to the patriarchy" story rather than a "trick this amnesiac heiress into loving me" story. They still both kidnap people to live out a revenge fantasy, so in the spirit of gender equality, I have mixed feelings about both.
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