The present invention relates to an article and a method for its preparation; the article comprises a cured polymeric film superposing paper or paperboard. The polymeric film is derived from a dispersion which comprises: a) a dispersant which is a copolymer with an acid value of 130 or less, comprising structural units of ethylene and a carboxylic acid monomer, wherein the copolymer has a melt flow index in the range of from 50 to 2000 g/10 min at 190° C./2.16 kg; wherein the weight-to-weight ratio of structural units of ethylene to carboxylic acid monomer is in the range of from 95:5 to 70:30; and wherein the dispersant has a concentration in the range of from 9 to 50 weight percent based on the weight of polymer solids in the dispersion; b) a base polymer comprising non-functionalized ethylene-co-alkene copolymers, wherein the weight-to-weight ratio of the structural units of ethylene to alkene is in the range of from 99.8:0.2 to 50:50; and c) a neutralizing agent which is a hard base and excludes an organic base having a boiling point of less than 250° C.; wherein the concentration of the neutralizing agent is sufficient to neutralize at least half of the carboxylic acid groups associated with the dispersion composition. The article of the present invention is useful as a barrier to a wide range of hydrophobic and hydrophilic materials.