film

OVERBOARD

Starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. Dir. Garry Marshall.

Take an old, old story, put it in a modem setting and you have OVERBOARD. It's the classic case of the Sleeping Beauty, who's been asleep in either a literary o r symbolic sense for a long time and needs the love of a good man plus a lot of good honest back grinding woman's work to make her live and fulfill herself.

In the old story, Sleeping Beauty was good, kind and generally sickening, as well as hard working before she slept, and afterwards when she awoke was just good, kind and generally sickening. In Overboard she's rich, mean and very very amusing.

It is another film that looks as if it's being used as a vehicle. In this case to show Goldie Hawn as capable of being funny without being kooky. There are still sections where she's just kooky but on the whole it works. She has a beautiful sense of timing that has not been apparent in other comedies she's done. As the super rich Mrs. Joanna Stayton and the initially unbelieving Annie Proffitt she's hilariously funny.

Like most fairy tales the plot is slight: super bitch Joanna Stayton falls overboard as her yacht docks in Elk Cove, Oregon for repairs. She's found by Dean Proffitt (Kurt Russell), who's wifeless and has four children. He finds in her a perfect solution to his problem of finding a housekeeper cum mother who'll stay with his kids. Her fall has caused her to lose her memory, so all he has to do is convince her she's married to him and all his problems are solved. He also has a score to settle with her regarding non-payment for work he did on her yacht.

Like a lot of American comedies it has a tendency to become somewhat maudlin and is at times a little too slapstick, but then since we're not seeking the meaning of life from it these are perhaps unjust accusations. As a good clean enjoyable film it has a lot going for it.

Anne Marie McCarthy

BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED

Starring Hugh Cronin and Jessica Tandy. Dir Matthew Robbins.

Yet another from the 'Steven Spielberg Presents' stable of lovable aliens who arrive in times of trouble to help their hapless human counterparts. Hugh Cronin and Jessica Tandy star as Frank and Faye, an old and long married couple living in a tenement in East 8th Street New York. Also living in the building is a young single pregnant Hispanic girl, an artist with artist's block and an exfighter who never talks. An unscrupulous property developer has his eye on the site and employs a local street gang to terrorise the inhabitants of 817 East 8th Street. A miracle as Frank says is needed.

Since the stage is now set and the good guy and bad guy parts have been cast a miracle is obviously on the way. However these days, and particularly in anything to do with Spielberg, miracles and divine intervention usually come in the form of creatures from outer space.

Faye, Frank's wife is the first to see the miniature spaceships, however since she is, to put it vulgarly, ninepence to the shilling, she is not believed. Finally hoever the whole building has seen them and hope returns once more to all at No. 817. Instead of having borrowers in the building they have fixers. What with the tenants banding together and the building beginning to regain some of its former glory, the time has come for the evil developer to act with renewed force.

Batteries Not Included is a 'nice' film and the little spaceships are especially cute. They even get together and produce offspring, one of them, because it won't work, giving the film its name. Harry (Frank McRae), the taciturn ex-boxer who uses advertising slogans instead of speech reckons its batteries were not included when it was made.

It is mainly a kid's film. Unlike E.T. which appealed across all ages I don't think this one will. However if you can borrow a child its a pleasant way to spend a wet afternoon.

Anne Marie McCarthy