Dennis Quaid as Frank Beardsley
Rene Russo as Helen North
Sean Faris as William Beardsley
Katija Pevec as Christina Beardsley
Dean Collins as Harry Beardsley
Tyler Patrick Jones as Michael Beardsley
Haley Ramm as Kelly Beardsley
Brecken Palmer as Ely Beardsley
Bridger Palmer as Otter Beardsley
Ty Panitz as Ethan Beardsley
Danielle Panabaker as Phoebe North
Drake Bell as Dylan North
Miki Ishikawa as Naoko North
Slade Pearce as Mick North
Little JJ as Jimi North
Miranda Cosgrove as Joni North
Andrew Vo as Lao North
Jennifer Habib as Bina North
Jessica Habib as Marisa North
Nicholas Roget-King as Aldo North
Rip Torn as Commandant Sherman
Linda Hunt as Mrs. Munion
Jerry O’Connell as Max
David Koechner as Darrell
Summary:
Despite featuring utter predictability and unoriginality, “Yours, Mine and Ours” also features a good cast and some laughs for parents and adults. If you’re looking for light, brainless entertainment for the family, it will fit the bill.
Story:
This is a remake of the 1968 film starring Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball.
When Admiral Frank Beardsley returns to his hometown after years of Coast Guard service, he meets his old flame Helen North at a high school reunion. Both recently widowed, the two find the old sparks again immediately and marry on a whim. There’s one catch. Frank has eight children and Helen has ten children (many adopted).
The two families find themselves thrown into a new and unpleasant household. The Beardsley kids are used to a strict, structured, organized environment. The North kids are used to a free spirited, liberal upbringing. Despite loving care from both of their parents, the kids all want out. The eighteen children soon hatch a plan to split up their newlywed parents and set things the way they were before. But how will they feel if their plan is successful?
“Yours, Mine and Ours” is rated PG for some mild crude humor.
What Worked:
In short, if you liked “Cheaper by the Dozen,” then you’ll like “Yours, Mine and Ours”. They are very similar movies. Both feature the trials and tribulations of living in a large family. Both feature kids of various ages getting into hi-jinks. Both feature an ultimate message of family sticking together. Both feature cute animals (not the kids). About the only things that make them different are the actors and the number of kids.
This film has a few things going for it. The first is an excellent cast. Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo are great together as Frank and Helen. There’s a lot of chemistry between the two despite all the differences between their characters. Any time they’re on the screen together, it’s like a completely different movie. The scenes between them are geared towards entertaining the parents while the scenes with the children entertain the kiddies. There ends up being a little something for everyone. It helps that they are backed up by a first rate supporting cast including Rip Torn, Linda Hunt and Jerry O’Connell.
“Yours, Mine and Ours” also has some funny moments with the kids wreaking havoc. A scene where one of the kids accidentally falls out of a window was pretty amusing thanks to the over-the-top reactions by the kids, Russo and Hunt. It’s scenes like these that really entertain children viewing the film.
The movie also has a few amusing lines. The most memorable for me was when Frank met Helen again and thought she was married. While talking to a friend about researching her online, he says something like the following:
Frank: “I Googled her all night.”
Darrell: “Oh no, Frank. Don’t tell me you Googled another man’s wife!”
Yes, it’s a cheap laugh but it cracked me up.
What Didn’t Work:
“Yours, Mine and Ours” is simply light entertainment, nothing more. A week after viewing it you’ll be hard pressed to remember any details. You may even start getting it confused with “Cheaper by the Dozen”. Because of the lack of originality and big laughs, I knocked the rating on this way down. The cheesy, sappy ending didn’t help matters at all, either.
The Bottom Line:
If you need to entertain the kids over the holidays with a movie, “Yours, Mine and Ours” will fit the bill. There’s a little here for adults and a little here for kids. The final result is a light film that’s utterly forgettable, but will offer some entertainment for a short time.
