Let me introduce you to the cutthroat world of used-boat sales. In Man Overboard we meet CJ Mason (Matthew Kaminsky) who owns Mason Marine, a small lot where he helps people find and sell boats for a reasonable price. Working with CJ are Frank (Floyd Van Buskirk), a laid-back fan of the Grateful Dead; Steve (Jeffry E. Stein) a compulsive liar; and Kyle (Graham Norris), a kid with a dream of touring with his own band. Good guys, but they don't sell a ton of boats. CJ has a great family too - wife Madeline (Brooke Baumer) and two great boys. And he wants the best for his family, but is struggling a bit.
When CJ meets Johnny (Mel Fair), a slick salesman who wants to sell him the mansion across the street. Johnny weasels his way into selling boats for CJ and suddenly the boat business is booming. But CJ is blind to the underhanded tactics Johnny is using to sell boats and manipulate not only the customers but his fellow employees.
Man Overboard boils down to a solid story of a man who wants more than he has, but never really appreciates what he has already until it's almost gone. Johnny is a master of closing the deal and the epitome of the greasy used-car salesman everywhere. If the film was set in the frozen north, I'm sure he would have been selling automatic ice makers to people living in igloos. You definitely root for CJ and his family against Johnny's selfish, manipulative nature.
For me, the movie ends stronger than it begins. Clocking in at 90 minutes, the film was slow going for the first half. But once CJ gets a taste of the dream by being able to buy a big house for his family and things start to fall apart around him, I started to enjoy the story a bit more. CJ, his family, and friends band together to save Mason Marine and clean up the mess that Johnny had helped create.
CJ is the classic "nice guy" character and Johnny was a real turkey to take advantage of him like he had everywhere else he'd worked. The characters are there to support the story, but it's pretty weak until CJ sees through Johnny's manipulation and starts to stand up for himself. I did find myself cheering for the underdog CJ once he saw Johnny's true nature. But up to that point, it was a struggle.
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