Yours, Mine & Ours (2005)
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Dennis Quaid)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
Ever wished you were part of a big family, or want to have one of your own some day? Well, watch this movie first! It might sway you one way or the other. And even if you don’t have any desire for big families, you should catch this film. It is hilarious with one comedic situation on the heels of another. After all, take one single parent who runs his family of eight children with the same militaristic organization talents that made him an admiral in the Coast Guard; and another hippy-like single parent whose number one rule, for her ten children, is “A house is not for impression, but free expression�. Put them together and it doesn’t take much imagination to come up with a humorous storyline.
What’s even more impressive is that this is based upon a real story. Helen Beardsley (played by Rene Russo in this remake) wrote a book called “Who Gets the Drumstick�; which described the logistical nightmare of raising 20 kids. Yes, that’s right – 20! As with both the 1968 version and this latest remake, the story follows the real life story of a widow with eight children who marries a Helen Beardsley, a widower with 10 kids of her own. In the 1968 version, the family is finally brought together with the impending departure of the oldest boy, to the military, and with the birth of #19. In the 2005 version the story ends a little sooner before any additional children are born. Interesting enough, the real life story is even more interesting as Helen tries to deal with 20 kids. Helen died in 2000, at the age of 70, but it was reported that she had said – she didn’t understand how anyone could enjoy life with just a dozen or so kids around :0)
If this storyline sounds familiar, it is. In the last few years we have seen a resurgence of re-makes. And this is another one. But fortunately, this one was a success. The original film was produced in 1968 and starred Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball. Less prankfalls, but funny nonetheless. The same story with a widow and widower falling in love and then trying to make one family out of their 18 non-cooperating children. With the expected results. So, the newly released “Yours, Mine, and Ours� is just an old story. In fact the description at movies.yahoo.com is exactly the same for both versions:
“A widow and widower fall in love and get married, but the resulting combined eighteen children make for a hair-raising situation under one roof.�
But even though they have the same plot and the stories are different somewhat. In factg, having seen both, I would say that there is one big difference between the 1968 version and this remake. CHANGE. Which is a big part of the new release. And not only Change, but how we handle it. Yes, in the original there was some of this. However, in the original film Henry Fonda is a Naval Officer and Lucille Ball is the widow of a Naval Officer. So, while there was a lot of adjustment for the two families to come together, there was a lot similarity in their family structures. So the while the original dealt with the basic issues of blending two families, it dealt with issues that many families have dealt with and even more so with families breaking up and forming new family units. The original film just dealt with it on a larger scale.
But what Fonda and Ball had to deal with was nothing compared to what the new version brought to the big screen. Dennis Quad and Rene Russo not only had to bring two families together, but the cultural and social differences in these families provided a ravenous gap that had to be crossed to make them one family.
This provides the viewer interesting insight into the conflict and eventual compromise required for different people to live together. At first these children are in total denial of the marriage and find that each other’s previous lifestyle creates such drama and irritation that they can barely stand to be in the presence of each other. They even go to the extreme of destroying the one thing that has finally made their individual parent’s lives complete. Yet, the longer they are “stuck� together, the more they begin to appreciate the differences and even eventually find that these differences compliment their own characteristics. And yes, the world is a much better place when we learn to live with one another. We can accomplish so much more – as shown at the end of the film when this newly formed family has to leave a message on their answering maching. A lesson many of us could take to heart.
I found this version both funny and heartwarming. And even though the outcome is predictable, it is worth going to see. There are lots of silly and outrageously funny scenes (that don’t show up in the Trailers) and the romance between Dennis Quad and Rene Russo feels genuine (though I thought that the film transitioned a little too quickly from their reunion – 30 years after being high school sweethearts – to “we’re married). The use of the lighthouse, though also predictable, was well played and nearly had me teary-eyed.
As with most movies, there is not just one Message in the Movie. As I already talked about, learning that we shouldn’t fear change, but should embrace it is an important message we come away with from this film. Learning how to compromise and accept others for what they are, while not forgetting who we are ourselves, can make us all better and we can accomplish so much more. And, of course, that family is important and something we all need. Even if one of us is Academy bound and the other is a rock star, or one is a cheerleader and the other is folksinger. Family goes beyond these differences. Family is one of those many, yet very important, things that make us who we are and helps us to find our identity.
—Overview (multimedia)
—Reviews and Blogs
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Dennis Quaid)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
Ever wished you were part of a big family, or want to have one of your own some day? Well, watch this movie first! It might sway you one way or the other. And even if you don’t have any desire for big families, you should catch this film. It is hilarious with one comedic situation on the heels of another. After all, take one single parent who runs his family of eight children with the same militaristic organization talents that made him an admiral in the Coast Guard; and another hippy-like single parent whose number one rule, for her ten children, is “A house is not for impression, but free expression�. Put them together and it doesn’t take much imagination to come up with a humorous storyline.
What’s even more impressive is that this is based upon a real story. Helen Beardsley (played by Rene Russo in this remake) wrote a book called “Who Gets the Drumstick�; which described the logistical nightmare of raising 20 kids. Yes, that’s right – 20! As with both the 1968 version and this latest remake, the story follows the real life story of a widow with eight children who marries a Helen Beardsley, a widower with 10 kids of her own. In the 1968 version, the family is finally brought together with the impending departure of the oldest boy, to the military, and with the birth of #19. In the 2005 version the story ends a little sooner before any additional children are born. Interesting enough, the real life story is even more interesting as Helen tries to deal with 20 kids. Helen died in 2000, at the age of 70, but it was reported that she had said – she didn’t understand how anyone could enjoy life with just a dozen or so kids around :0)
If this storyline sounds familiar, it is. In the last few years we have seen a resurgence of re-makes. And this is another one. But fortunately, this one was a success. The original film was produced in 1968 and starred Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball. Less prankfalls, but funny nonetheless. The same story with a widow and widower falling in love and then trying to make one family out of their 18 non-cooperating children. With the expected results. So, the newly released “Yours, Mine, and Ours� is just an old story. In fact the description at movies.yahoo.com is exactly the same for both versions:
“A widow and widower fall in love and get married, but the resulting combined eighteen children make for a hair-raising situation under one roof.�
But even though they have the same plot and the stories are different somewhat. In factg, having seen both, I would say that there is one big difference between the 1968 version and this remake. CHANGE. Which is a big part of the new release. And not only Change, but how we handle it. Yes, in the original there was some of this. However, in the original film Henry Fonda is a Naval Officer and Lucille Ball is the widow of a Naval Officer. So, while there was a lot of adjustment for the two families to come together, there was a lot similarity in their family structures. So the while the original dealt with the basic issues of blending two families, it dealt with issues that many families have dealt with and even more so with families breaking up and forming new family units. The original film just dealt with it on a larger scale.
But what Fonda and Ball had to deal with was nothing compared to what the new version brought to the big screen. Dennis Quad and Rene Russo not only had to bring two families together, but the cultural and social differences in these families provided a ravenous gap that had to be crossed to make them one family.
This provides the viewer interesting insight into the conflict and eventual compromise required for different people to live together. At first these children are in total denial of the marriage and find that each other’s previous lifestyle creates such drama and irritation that they can barely stand to be in the presence of each other. They even go to the extreme of destroying the one thing that has finally made their individual parent’s lives complete. Yet, the longer they are “stuck� together, the more they begin to appreciate the differences and even eventually find that these differences compliment their own characteristics. And yes, the world is a much better place when we learn to live with one another. We can accomplish so much more – as shown at the end of the film when this newly formed family has to leave a message on their answering maching. A lesson many of us could take to heart.
I found this version both funny and heartwarming. And even though the outcome is predictable, it is worth going to see. There are lots of silly and outrageously funny scenes (that don’t show up in the Trailers) and the romance between Dennis Quad and Rene Russo feels genuine (though I thought that the film transitioned a little too quickly from their reunion – 30 years after being high school sweethearts – to “we’re married). The use of the lighthouse, though also predictable, was well played and nearly had me teary-eyed.
As with most movies, there is not just one Message in the Movie. As I already talked about, learning that we shouldn’t fear change, but should embrace it is an important message we come away with from this film. Learning how to compromise and accept others for what they are, while not forgetting who we are ourselves, can make us all better and we can accomplish so much more. And, of course, that family is important and something we all need. Even if one of us is Academy bound and the other is a rock star, or one is a cheerleader and the other is folksinger. Family goes beyond these differences. Family is one of those many, yet very important, things that make us who we are and helps us to find our identity.
—Overview (multimedia)
—Reviews and Blogs
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