Review: Yours, Mine and Ours (2005)

Directed by: Raja Gosnell | 90 minutes | comedy, family, romance | Actors: Dennis Quaid, Rene Russo, Sean Faris, Katija Pevec, Dean Collins, Tyler Patrick Jones, Haley Ramm, Rip Torn, Brecken Palmer, Bridger Palmer, Ty Panitz, Danielle Panabaker, Drake Bell, Miki Ishikiwa, Slade Pearce, Little JJ , Miranda Cosgrove, Andrew Vo, Je

The premise of “Yours, Mine and Ours” is not new: parents make a big change in life, which the kids disagree with, and then the children do everything they can to get the situation back to normal. This is no different in “Yours, Mine and Ours”. The film is a remake of the 1968 film of the same name, which in turn is a film adaptation of Helen Beardsley’s book, “Who Get’s the Drumsticks”.

In the film, Helen is played by the attractive Rene Russo, who only seems to get more beautiful with the passage of time. She is a hippie-like mother whose motto is “Homes are for free expressions, not good impressions”. She has ten children, six of whom have been adopted. Dennis Quaid plays Frank, an admiral who has raised his eight children rigorously. Some kids even call him “admiral” instead of “daddy,” even though he says he doesn’t have to. These children live according to strict schedules, which, according to Frank, is also necessary, given the many relocations the family has already experienced. This time, however, they move for the last time, as Frank promises at the beginning of the film. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Frank soon meets Helen and the love they felt for each other at school soon blossomed again. At a somewhat overly romantic reunion (held on a cruise, decorated with tiny lights), the spark completely ignites and the couple transfer from the cruise to another vessel, the wedding boat. This fact is communicated between nose and lips to the eighteen children, and it should come as no surprise that they are not happy with their parents’ decision. Anyway, they are still underage, so they have to move to a large and idyllic house by the sea, with a lighthouse still. The place needs to be refurbished and soon the paint pots are flying around.

Director Raja Gosnell, known for ‘Home Alone 3’, ‘Never Been Kissed’, ‘Big Momma’s House’ and both ‘Scooby-Doo’ films, wastes no time on the first part of the film, until after the first encounter of the children together. That was a wise choice, because it keeps the momentum in the story. The comically intended scenes, however, are of a below average level, with the low point being Dennis Quaid, who is always falling or walking in the mud. The acting is sufficient, although the chemistry between Rene Russo and Dennis Quaid remains, but this could also be due to the script. The few romantic scenes the two share are not enough to convince them that they are falling for each other again after all these years. Apparently the makers assume that the fact “opposites attract” explanation is enough. Logically, the children don’t have much play time, there are simply too many, although Danielle Pannabaker (as Phoebe North) and Katija Pevec (as Christina Beardsley) do impress.

If you don’t mind seeing every joke coming from afar and just want to watch a relaxing movie with the occasional cautious smile, then you should feel free to try Yours, Mine and Ours.