Yours, Mine & Ours (2005 film)

2005 film by Raja Gosnell

Yours, Mine & Ours is a 2005 American family comedy film directed by Raja Gosnell and starring Rene Russo and Dennis Quaid. It concerns a blended family with 18 children. It is a remake of the 1968 film of the same name, which in turn was based on the 1965 book Who Gets the Drumstick? by Helen Beardsley. It was released on November 23, 2005. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Nickelodeon Movies, and Robert Simonds Company, and was distributed by Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures. It was panned by critics and grossed $72 million against a $45 million budget.

Widowed U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Frank Beardsley moves back to his hometown of New London, Connecticut, with his eight children from his first marriage. After he and Helen North, a widowed handbag designer by trade with 10 children (four biological, six adopted), unexpectedly encounter each other at a restaurant while on separate dates, they do so again at their 30-year high school reunion.

Instantly rekindling their old sparks, Frank and Helen quickly decide to marry in a private ceremony, shocking both sets of children. They move into a new home on the same property where they shared their first kiss, joined by the North children’s numerous pets (including a pot-bellied pig), and Frank’s housekeeper, Mrs. Munion. It soon becomes apparent that Frank’s very regimented view of doing things clashes with Helen’s more free-spirited, laissez-faire attitude. Their respective children, shocked by the news of their quick wedding, initially do not get along well, even turning a planned lighthouse renovation project into an all-out paint fight.

Frank’s oldest son, William, calls a meeting with his siblings and explains that they can rid themselves of their new situation by joining forces to make Frank and Helen’s respective philosophical differences apparent, which will cause them to fight. However, while doing so, they gradually begin to bond, attending their siblings’ soccer games and helping William in his class president campaign.

A short time later, Frank and Helen attend a formal Coast Guard dinner where his superior, Commandant Sherman, officially offers him the opportunity to be his successor. He respectfully declines it, 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 throw a wild party downstairs, which quickly grows uncontrollable. When Frank and Helen return to find the place in total chaos, Frank is furious, and while also upset, Helen’s more laidback approach only angers him more. This causes their worst fight yet, and the children, realizing how happy Frank and Helen have been together, begin to realize that they might have pushed things too far.

The next day, Frank informs Helen that he has decided to take the position as Commandant after all, and they schedule a family meeting to inform the children. As the children return home 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 them of his decision to accept the new position. Feeling guilty for having torn him and Helen apart, they set about undoing their mistakes, with the younger children enlisting Helen to aid in their efforts. Together, the older ones launch the family’s boat in an effort to intercept 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 (referencing a story he had told her earlier about a beautiful female lighthouse keeper). Successfully reunited, they marry once again, this time with the children involved.

Release[edit]

Promotion[edit]

Quaid and some of the child actors appeared on the November 22, 2005 episode of Dr. Phil to promote the film.^[2]

Box office[edit]

The film opened at number three behind Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Walk the Line, with an opening weekend of $17.5 million in the US.^[3] Its final North American box office was $53.4 million and its international box office was $19.3 million, earning a combined total of $72.7 million, against its $45 million production budget.^[1]

Reception[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 6% based on 107 reviews, with an average rating of 3.3/10. The site’s critical consensus reads, “The initial set-up is unbelievable, the plotting is predictable and stale, and the comedy depends on repetitive pratfalls that soon get old.”^[4] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 38 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating “generally unfavorable reviews”.^[5] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it an average grade of “A−” on an A+ to F scale.^[6]

Soundtrack[edit]

Hawk Nelson performed a song featuring Drake Bell, titled “Bring Em’ Out”, as the film’s main theme song. The group itself performs during the party sequence.

Home media[edit]

The film was released on VHS and DVD on February 28, 2006, and on Blu-ray on February 2, 2021.^[7]

References[edit]

External links[edit]