YOURS, MINE & OURS: Predictable, chaotic comedy

YOURS, MINE & OURS
(Comedy) Time: 88 mins
Rating: * *

The remake of Yours, Mine & Ours is obviously inspired by the success of Steve Martin’s Cheaper By The Dozen which grossed over US$138 million. Unlike The Shaggy Dog (reviewed below), it has none of its ‘inventive comedy’ but relies solely on domestic chaos to get the laughs.

The story has the widowed Coast Guard admiral Frank Beardsley (Dennis Quaid) getting hitched with his high school sweetheart Helen North (Rene Russo) and combining their households into a mega-family. He has eight kids and she has 10, making the Brady Bunch seem like a well-planned family.

His children are brought up in strict military fashion while her kids are allowed ‘freedom of expression’. Unhappy with their lot, the kids rebel — and then (predictably) realise that they are better off as a family. And you can safely tell what would happen next throughout the movie.

This film also falls short as a tender romantic comedy that centres around a story about a lighthouse keeper. In the supporting cast, Linda Hunt is wasted as the hip housekeeper.