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)
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Just Friends (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 (comedy films)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads

The Ugly Duckling meets the Three Stooges. This isn’t an exact description of the film Best Friends, but gives you an idea. Take one over weight and shy teenager (a.k.a. the school loser), then fast forward 10 years. In the beginning of the movie Chris Brander (played by Ryan Reynolds of “The Wedding Party�, “Amityville Horror� and “Waiting�) is the epitome of the lonely kid that everyone makes fun of and avoids (except to make fun of) – with the exception of two friends and his closest buddy, Jamie Palamino (played by Amy Smart who has a long list of performances including “Win a Date with Tad Hamilton� and “The Butterfly Effect). And as much as Chris is the class loser, Jamie is just the opposite – a beautiful and popular cheerleader.

Which makes it interesting because Chris and Jamie aren’t just friends, they are the closest of buds, helping each other out and sharing the deepest secrets. Well, all except one really big secret. The one where Chris is really in “love� with Jamie. And on graduation night, Chris finally gets up the nerve to tell Jamie – but only gets in return the infamous “Just Friends� speech. This separates Chris and Jamie for ten long and life-changing years; which is where the real story begins.

Like the Ugly Duckling, Chris goes through a transformation and becomes a successful LA music executive with all the stereotype money, models, and lifestyle that goes with the title. Seeing Chris at the beginning reminded of how the Ugly Duckling felt in Hans Christian Andersons’ fable. There is a line in it where it says that the Ugly Duckling “wasn’t pretty, and since he ate far more than his brothers, he was outgrowing them� and the Ugly Duckling laments “Nobody loves me, they all tease me! Why am I different from my brothers?� But then after some time working on himself in LA, he comes back to his home town in New Jersey transformed into the beautiful swan (which was in him all the time anyways).

But the story doesn’t stop there. As it says at the end of the Ugly Duckling fable “One day, he heard children on the river bank exclaim: ‘Look at that young swan! He’s the finest of them all!’ And he almost burst with happiness.� Now this is where the story begins to twist and turn from the fable. Imagine if the swan (a.k.a. Ugly Duckling) determined that “yes, it was the finest. And not only that, but it was even better than all the rest of the swans.� That’s how this story goes. Chris has become exactly the “bad boy� stereotype that Jamie had dated throughout high school. Relationships had become a game. If you made the right moves, you score – then move on to the next challenge. And when Chris accidentally finds himself in his hometown and runs into Jamie, as the new-and-improved Chris Brander, he believes that now, finally, he can score with Jamie. But we are told that Jamie has matured and is looking for more. This sets the background for the bulk of the movie.

I would say as a romantic comedy, this had a lot more comedy than romance. Yes, there is a romantic tale that is woven into the fabric of the film, but it seemed that this only provided a backdrop for the real purpose of the movie – slapstick at it’s finest. This is where the three stooges analogy comes in for those of you that have not been following along :0). Ryan Reynolds is a pro at the slap and fall routine. And he is at his best in this genre for this movie. His little brother in the movie, Mike, is played by Christopher Marquette (known for “The Girl Next Door� and my favorite cancelled show as Adam in “Joan of Arcadia�). From the very first time that the two of them are together in a scene, it is like watching the three stooges (minus one). They are constantly beating up on each other, like real siblings, though a little bit extreme. Plus I don’t know too many men in their late twenties who go at it like Chris and Mike do. But this leads us into much of the slapstick comedy which this movie hinges on. Even as I write this Review I am still laughing at many of the scenes (Chris flying down a slope on a stretcher and landing face first on the ice). Add to this the over exaggerated role of Samantha James (played by Anna Faris). Her role as a whacked out California pop singer is just crazy enough to provide a great contrast between Chris’ current LA lifestyle and the life he left behind in New Jersey. Not only this, but at times, she provides the third stooge with spurts of slapstick comedy.

Of course, it all ends up ok and love conquers all :-) But the real Message in the Movie wasn’t about how love conquers all. In fact, like I said, the love story was secondary to much of the film. The real message is about finding who you really are, and to some degree about family. The second message came somewhat as a shock to me and showed up suddenly – and only momentarily. At one point, amongst all the fighting between Chris and his brother Mike, there is a scene where Mike is headed upstairs, eating a cookie, and grabs another one before heading up the stairs. Chris is standing in his room staring at a passed out Samantha as Mike walks in and stands next to him. In every scene leading up to this Mike taunts Chris (like most little brothers) and then gets beat up by Chris. But in this scene, just when you are waiting for the vicious attack, Mike hands Chris the other cookie and says “I love ya�, and Chris responds, “I love you too�. And that’s the scene. It was like wow! We forget that love isn’t always expressed with flowers, a fine dinner, or presents. Sometimes it is expressed in the only way that two people can communicate. Not that I am saying by any means that it is okay for someone to hit someone else. But siblings compete amongst themselves (which is fairly common) and in the case of Chris and Mike, this shown through their taunting and fighting. But I also imagine that if anyone else attacked one of them, the other would be right there to defend them. They can fight, but don’t let anyone mess with their family.

The other, more prominent Message is that of finding out who oneself is, and being that person. Chris became what Jamie had always wanted (in the past), but now she had outgrown that type of person. He had gone from the Ugly Duckling to the Swan on the outside, but had gone from the Swan to the Ugly Duckling on the inside. When, in high school, he had Jamie in his life and that had provided stabilization and focus for his life. When they separated, Chris lost his way, as if he was in the darkness without a light. It was when he reconnected with his source of life, Jamie, and she showed him the light, that he finally understood that it wasn’t whether you were an Ugly Duckling or a Swan. It is all about if you are the “real� you – and what sort of person are you. This reminded me of how I feel when I become disconnected from God (which happens probably way too often). Lost, though I think I am happy. It is only when I come back to God, see His light, and realize who I really am. Not just a lonely person out there by myself, but part of a family that (yes I fight with too often), greater than any family I could ever imagine. And a family where I can be the “real� me. That is when I really find happiness.

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