EDITOR’S NOTE: Going Overboard was on USA Up All Night on June 15 and 16, 1990; February 16 and October 11, 1991; March 13 and June 12, 1992 as Babes Ahony. 

It seemed like every time I tuned into USA Up All Night, this movie — Going Overboard is its primary title, but it was also known as Adam Sandler’s Love Boat in Germany — was playing. This is understandable since it was one of Adam Sandler’s early films that could be aired without incurring significant costs.

Directed and written by Valerie Breiman, the film boasts a large cast, including Burt Young, Billy Zane, Adam Rifkin, Terry Moore, Milton Berle, and Billy Bob Thornton.

The plot follows Shecky Moskowitz (played by Sandler), a stand-up comedian who isn’t very good at his craft. He lands a gig on a cruise ship as a janitor but gets a stand-up job after the on-ship comedian, Dickie Diamond (Scott LaRose), falls overboard. Complications arise when General Noriega (Burt Young) decides he wants to kill Miss Australia (Lisa Collins) for insulting him. Fortunately, Billy Zane appears as Lord Neptune to inspire our hero. Yes, that really happens.

The film was shot on a small, rundown cruise ship that sailed for a week from New Orleans to Cancun, Mexico. It was en route to the Miss Universe Pageant, hosting fifty past and present beauty queens from across the United States. As much as I appreciate Sandler, this is one of the worst movies I have ever seen, and you can imagine how low that bar goes.

It’s rumored that Rifkin co-wrote this film. Yes, the same person responsible for The Dark Backward. Really. Honestly, I have no idea how this film came to be, nor can I explain why I’ve watched it so many times. Somehow, Sandler recovered and has been a huge success. Anything can happen, you know?

You can watch this on Tubi.