Overboard Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Overboard Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 1, 2021

One of the more entertaining aspects of the IMDb (aside and apart from some of the User Reviews) is the "Advanced Search" feature, which allows you to explore things like collaborations between artists. In that regard, if you enter Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn as search terms as co-stars, you really only get two feature films with them as equals, the one currently under review and 1984's Swing Shift (which kind of curiously looks like it hasn't yet had a Blu-ray release, despite the added imprimatur of Jonathan Demme). The on screen and real life couple had one earlier ostensible collaboration on the big screen, the lesser remembered Disney musical The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band , but Hawn is really only a featured ensemble player and dancer in that one. (Also kind of curiously, it doesn't look like the Disney opus has had a Blu-ray release, either). The two co-stars are probably the best reason to check out Overboard, a film that offers some reasonable laughs even if it tells a pretty well worn story.

Overboard had a prior release on Blu-ray back when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was regularly putting out discs, and for those interested in a plot recap, I refer you to my Overboard Blu-ray review of that version. I've also tried to recreate some of the screenshots from that original review in this review so that those interested can do a side by side comparison.

Overboard Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Overboard is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The back cover of this release says this is "now scanned in 2K for the first time ever". I wasn't particularly impressed with the original MGM Blu-ray, and this Severin release strikes me as being at least relatively more organic looking, without the same noisy grain scenario the MGM release had, though as a cursory comparison of screenshots may reveal, there's still a pretty heavy layer of grain here which can mask fine detail at times. There are some brightness variances between the two releases, and perhaps curiously at times this release can either look slightly brighter or dimmer than the MGM release. When it looks less bright in particular things can appear a bit softer (perhaps because of the darker look), though I found detail levels in this version to be at least equal and arguably superior to the MGM release. The MGM version also has a just slightly different color timing that can be gleaned in just two random examples by comparing the "blue sky" in screenshot 8 of this review with the one in screenshot 3 of the MGM review, or the various red and orange tones in screenshot 6 of this review with screenshot 5 of the MGM review. There are still a few signs of age related wear and tear here, but I personally found this version to be a generally more pleasing viewing experience. I was frankly hoping for a bit more of an improvement here, but my feeling is this tops the MGM release, if not by a huge amount. My score is 3.25.

Overboard Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Like the MGM Blu-ray release, this Severin release features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that to my ears was pretty much identical to the one on the MGM release. I refer those interested to my Overboard Blu-ray review.

Overboard Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Writing Overboard (HD; 14:19) is an appealing interview with screenwriter Leslie Dixon, who also counts Mrs. Doubtfire among her credits.


• Trailer (HD; 1:55)

Overboard Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

You never know what fascinating trivia you might find out from an innocent social media comment. I jokingly posted a few weeks ago that no matter where you are in my home state of Oregon, there seems to be an exit for the tiny (but really rather charming) town of Vernonia, which is kind of nestled a bit northwest of Portland toward the Pacific coast, but which must have an "in" with various Chambers of Commerce and/or highway departments scattered throughout the state, as evidenced by the unabashedly comical number of informational signs on various backroads pointing to the burg. One of the respondents to my post said that in a former life he delivered bottled water (as in "hey, Culligan man") to a large ranch in Vernonia where he never actually met the owners but got waves from them regularly during his deliveries. I can't attest as to the post's veracity, but according to this guy, anyway, those two people were none other than Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. (Kind of interestingly if also a bit humorously in terms of Oregon based trivia, Hawn's ex-husband Bill Hudson at one point had a houseboat on the Willamette River in Portland, though I'm not sure he still does.) So with that in mind, I'll only say that if there is a certain couple in a certain small town in Oregon looking to rewatch the only film in high definition that they've made as "real" co-stars, they should probably go for this Severin Films version. With the caveat that some may wish for a more substantial improvement in video quality from the older MGM Blu-ray, this version comes Recommended.