Yours, Mine and Ours (2005 film)

Yours, Mine & Ours

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Raja Gosnell
Produced by Robert Simonds
Michael G. Nathanson
Screenplay by Ron Burch
David Kidd
Based on Yours, Mine and Ours 
by Melville Shavelson
Mort Lachman
Madelyn Davis
Bob Carroll, Jr.
Starring Dennis Quaid
Rene Russo
Rip Torn
Linda Hunt
Music by Christophe Beck
Cinematography Theo van de Sande
Edited by Bruce Green
Stephen A. Rotter
Production
company
Distributed by Paramount Pictures (U.S)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (International)
Sony Pictures Releasing International (Int.)
Release dates
  • November 23, 2005
Running time
95 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $45 million
Box office $72,028,752

Yours, Mine & Ours is a 2005 American family comedy film about a family with eighteen children, ranging from 4 year old Ethan, to 18 year old William. Directed by Raja Gosnell, it stars Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo and was released on November 23, 2005. It is also a remake of the 1968 film of the same name, which starred Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda. The film was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Nickelodeon Movies, and was distributed by Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures.

Plot

High school sweethearts Frank Beardsley (a widowed Coast Guard Admiral) and Helen North (a widowed handbag designer), are reunited when Frank and his family move back to his hometown of New London, Connecticut. After unexpectedly encountering each other at a restaurant while on separate dates, the pair run into each other again at their 30-year class reunion.

Instantly rekindling their old sparks, the two quickly decide to marry in a private ceremony. They are quite aware of the fact that Frank already has eight children from his first marriage, and Helen has ten from her first marriage. The family moves into a new home, on the same property as the lighthouse where Frank and Helen shared their first kiss, joined by the North children's numerous pets (including a pot-bellied pig and a guinea pig) and Frank's housekeeper, Mrs. Munion.

It soon becomes apparent that, as a Coast Guard Admiral, Frank has a very regimented view of how things should be done, whereas Helen is an artist (a designer by trade) with a more free-spirited, lackadaisical attitude. Their respective children, who are a product of their parents' views, are shocked by the news of their parents' quick wedding and do not get along well at first, even turning a planned lighthouse renovation project into an all-out paint fight.

Frank's oldest son William calls a meeting among the children and explains that they can better rid themselves of their new situation by joining forces to make their parents' respective philosophical differences apparent, and effectively cause them to start fighting. During this time, the children gradually begin to bond, taking part in such activities as attending their siblings' soccer games and helping William in his campaign for class president.

A short time later, Frank and Helen attend a formal Coast Guard dinner where Frank's superior, Commandant Sherman, officially offers Frank the opportunity to be his successor. Frank respectfully declines the offer, citing both his obligation to the Coast Guard Academy and his new family. Meanwhile, as the young children have a food fight upstairs in the bedroom, the older ones downstairs throw an all-out party that quickly grows out of control, and when the couple returns home to find their house in total chaos, Frank is furious, while Helen takes a more laid-back approach, which only angers Frank further and causes their worst fight yet. Realizing just how happy their parents have been together, the children begin to sense that maybe they pushed things too far.

The next day, Frank informs Helen that he has decided to take the position as Commandant after all, and the pair schedule a family meeting to inform the children of this new development. As they return from school, jubilant over having defended their younger siblings from bullies and with the news of William having won the class election, Frank quickly deflates the mood by telling the children of his decision to accept the new position. Feeling guilty for having torn their parents apart, the children set about undoing their mistakes, even enlisting Helen to aid in their efforts. Together, the older children launch the family's boat in an effort to catch Frank (thereby fulfilling his previous dream of having an all-family sailing team that failed earlier), but he is convinced that Helen no longer wants to be with him, until he sees her turn on the lighthouse spotlight (a reference to a story Frank had told Helen about a beautiful female lighthouse keeper). Successfully reunited, the pair tie the knot once again, but this time with the rest of the family involved.

Cast

The Beardsley children (8 children)

The North children (10 children)

Supporting cast

Release

Promotion

Quaid, and some of the children featured in the film, appeared on the November 22, 2005 episode of the Dr. Phil Show to promote the movie.[1]

Box office

Yours, Mine & Ours opened at number three, with an opening weekend of $17,461,108 in the US.[2] Its final North American box office was $53,412,862, and its international box office was $18,615,890, earning a combined total of $72,028,752, well above its $45 million production budget.[3]

Critical reception

Yours, Mine & Ours received negative reviews from film critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 6% based on 106 reviews.[4] Metacritic gives the film an average score of 38%, based on 25 reviews.[5] Roger Ebert gave the film 1.5 out of 4 stars and deemed it inferior to the 1968 version.[6]

Despite negative response from several critics, Joe Leydon of Variety gave the film positive feedback, calling it "generally pleasant family-friendly fare".[4]

Soundtrack

Hawk Nelson performed a song featuring Drake Bell, entitled "Bring Em' Out", as the film's main theme song. Additionally, the group itself makes an appearance in the film, performing during the party sequence.

Home media

Paramount Home Entertainment (U.S.A.) and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (Int.) released the film on VHS on February 28, 2006, which would be the last Nickelodeon Movies title to be issued in VHS format. A "Special Collector's Edition" of the film was released on DVD the same date and included such special features as deleted scenes, audio commentary, theatrical trailers, and behind-the-scenes documentaries.

References

External links