Genre: Family/Comedy/Romance
Runtime: 90 minutes
Director: Raja Gosnell
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Rene Russo, Jerry O'Connell, Rip Torn, Linda Hunt, George Lopez, David Koechner, Sean Faris, Tyler Patrick Jones, Barbara Niven, Miranda Cosgrove, Drake Bell, Dean Collins, Miki Ishikawa, Little JJ, Danielle Panabaker, Slade Pearce, Haley Ramm
Guide Review of "Yours, Mine & Ours"
Widowed Coast Guard officer Frank Beardsley (Dennis Quaid) has moved is family of eight children back to home town to make another new start. Moving around so much is difficult, but he runs a tight ship, and the obedient children follow their schedules and perform their duties to a tee.
When Frank runs into his high school sweetheart, Helen North (Rene Russo), they are both taken back by the encounter. Determined to see each other again, they attend the high school reunion cruise, where they fall in love all over again. This time, though, they make it official.
While Frank breaks the happy news to his eight children, Helen is retelling the romantic story to her ten free-spirited and completely unregimented kids. Frank and Helen picture one big happy family, but the children aren’t excited about how the numbers add up.
The couple’s happily ever after begins to crumble as reality sets in. Two families of opposites just don’t meld together that easily, and Frank and Helen’s relationship is strained when the kids come up with a master plan.
The kids unite to tear the family apart with a series of pranks, setups, and sabotage. Things begin to look like the kids might get their way, and the family has to decide if being together is worth it.
While the movie may be completely predictable, it is also warm and funny. The positive portrayal of families and the interesting juxtaposition of the merits of both rule-oriented structure and free-expression make the film fun and interesting for parents and kids.
Note to parents on "Yours, Mine & Ours"
The main concern parents may have about the movie is the tricks the kids play on the parents in trying to break them up. The children destroy the house in a huge paint fight, play tricks on each other and their parents, and throw a huge party among other things. Also, the children are manipulative in their planning and capitalize on their parents’ distinct personalities and values in trying to break them up.
A brief reference to a keg of beer is made in one scene, although the children do not want anything to do with it. A couple of scenes portray the nanny as a drinker, and the kids find her thong underwear in the laundry. In one discussion about break-up strategies, a joke is made about girls kissing each other.
Content Overview of "Yours, Mine & Ours"
The following contains some of the most prominent examples of possibly scary or offensive content in the movie:
Violence (Extreme)
-Many scenes contain slapstick violence such as children having a paint fight and pillow fight.
-The Admiral father slips on some paint and falls.
-The twins ride around on a forklift and destroy the store when they can't stop it.
Sex/Nudity (Low)
-Some kids are interrupted while getting ready and a girl is shown in a towel.
-One sister is shown kissing a boy at school.
Profanity (Low)
-Words such as "God" and "hell" are used.
Alcohol/Drugs (Low)
-A reference to kegs is made.
-The nanny drinks a martini.
Bad/Disrespectful Behavior (High)
-The children plot to split up their parents and carry out many tricks and pranks such as dressing two little boys up as girls, throwing a big party, and messing up the parents' bathroom.
-Some kids at school pick on a couple of the siblings.
Scary Scenes (None)
Sad/Distressing Scenes (Low)
-The children feel badly about what they have done.
-Frank decides to take a job that will move his family away from Helen and her kids.
Talk About "Yours, Mine & Ours" With Your Family
- What are the challenges blended families face and how can they overcome them?
- One family is very rule-oriented while the other is more chaotic, what are the pros and cons of each system, and how can a balance between the two be beneficial? How can we learn from people who are different or do things differently than we do?
