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The romantic portions of Overboard preview many of the pretty dramas that Silvestri was still to pen, and the light action mode for the yacht adventures feature trademark Silvestri percussion in "Turning the Boat Around" and "Finale," the composer pulling clear but moderate inspiration from Back to the Future in the first minute of the latter cue. The score has a decent thematic narrative, and Silvestri applies a core set of personalities to similar scenes even if the actual melodies don't always persist. The carpenter's side of the tale receives two ideas, the main theme of the movie launching as a manic and enthusiastic rhythm with pop and Country mannerisms. Its actual thematic structures are rather obtuse, but that doesn't really matter. Developed throughout "Main Titles" with electronic banjo and guitar over an assertive electric bass riff, this theme segues to secondary phrasing for keyboarding that is smoother and cooler. Hand clapping and other effects ensure that the theme is silly to a fault. It shifts to an alternative idea for comedic rock posturing in "She's Really Something," and the idea's secondary phrasing returns in the middle of "Chase Mom" over Silvestri's hyperactive productivity motif. Finally, the main theme explodes briefly in "There is a God" with great, albeit low-class celebration as greed wins the day. For the family and sex life aspect of the carpenter, Silvestri applies a blues theme of lazy attitude for guitar, harmonica, and bass in "Welcome Home," reprising that same personality in "No Boom Boom." Don't expect any overlap between these two ideas in the score. For the rich snob on the yacht, a variety of comedically stately productivity motifs teases the implications of her forced transition into laborious duties. This material starts as classical rambling with harpsichord-appropriate lines superimposed on banjo and guitar in "Crabs 'R' Us." It then sets the idiotic parody atmosphere for the main theme in "Chase Mom" but returns to original form in the fast and insanity-inducing keyboard performances of "Making Lunch." For uppity tones, Silvestri formalizes the motif on ripping, classical string quartet emulation in "Daily Chores," but this music went unused on screen in both of its recorded variants.

In the end, though, almost everyone will remember the score for Overboard because of the composer's love theme for the duo. It's a pretty Silvestri identity of somewhat anonymous structure but still effective, emerging on piano in the middle of "I'm Sorry," where strings offer a pleasant wash behind it. Explored by woodwinds over twinkling percussion in "Something Not Horrible," the core element of the piano retakes it, and piano will define the idea most commonly thereafter. It's tentative at the outset of "The Jig's Up," swelling for the whole ensemble at 1:20 and secondary phrasing really flourishing in this gorgeous cue of revelation. Those auxiliary lines help inform the height of the muted action in "Turning the Boat Around." A horn opens with the theme in "Annie and Dean" and hands off to woodwinds, the piano formalizing the main phrases again with tingling synths and a single string passage. The love theme eventually builds out of the action of "Finale" for redemptive strings, increasingly romantic renditions leading to one massive moment of closure for the idea. Silvestri also recorded a straight pop version in "Love Theme From 'Overboard'" with now-highly dated keyboarded tones. You must compartmentalize the various portions of Overboard to appreciate Silvestri's approach to each facet of the ridiculous story. Most listeners will want to combine the fifteen minutes of love theme performances into a suite, though since it's largely redundant in those renditions, a solid five to ten-minute arrangement would be more than enough. The remainder is hopelessly rooted in 1980's comedy and is challenging to enjoy on its own. The score was distributed solely on compilations and bootlegs for many years, only finally receiving a legitimate CD release in 2011 by Music Box Records. This highly limited product contains a trio of alternate takes, but none is a game-changer. "She Really is Something (Alternate)" doesn't stay any closer to the main theme, while "Daily Chores (Alternate)" is a bit more robust in its string layers. Closing the album, "Finale (Alternate)" has less activity in its action portions and sees its overflowing romanticism withheld, but it sticks to same narrative. The rare CD won't be worth the pursuit for most collectors, but the score remains a sentimental favorite for those who have given the movie its minor cult status.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Alan Silvestri reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.21 (in 68 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.15 (in 43,672 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 44:19