DARLING, I REALLY DON'T CARE MUCH FOR YOUR NEW PERFUME!: Frank Beardsley (Dennis Quaid) is surprised, and clearly not amused, to find himself awakened by his newly acquired pet pig rather than his wife.
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DARLING, I REALLY DON'T CARE MUCH FOR YOUR NEW PERFUME!: Frank Beardsley (Dennis Quaid) is surprised, and clearly not amused, to find himself awakened by his newly acquired pet pig rather than his wife. |
In the best-seller Who Gets the Drumstick? Helen North fondly recounted the logistical challenges which she and her second husband, Frank Beardsley, encountered in making a home for a family comprised of 20 children, 8 hers, 10 his, and 2 both of theirs. Their story began when Nurse Helen met Naval Officer Frank while caring for one of his daughters in a military hospital. The recently-widowed couple fell madly in love and were married on September 9, 1961.
They moved into his Carmel, California home and had two additional babies who were born in '62 and '64. Despite the pregnancies and all the chaos, Helen managed to carve out enough time for herself to write the aforementioned autobiography which Random House published in 1965. They were indebted to the Navy which made some special concessions to the family, such as listing their home as a restaurant, so they could purchase groceries from the commissary at wholesale prices.
Helen North's introspective memoir was more spiritual and contemplative than the slapstick interpretation of it released as a film in 1968. Entitled Yours, Mine & Ours, it starred Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda in a humorous adventure which relied on pillow fights and sight gags such as Lucy coming unglued after drinking a spiked drink. The movie inspired The Brady Bunch (1969-1974), a year later, which became a popular television sitcom.
The success of Cheaper by the Dozen, a recent remake of another family comedy based on a true story probably led to the remake of Your, Mine & Ours. In fact, Cheaper II is set to be released in late December.
The 2005 edition of Yours, Mine & Ours stars Dennis Quaid, Rene Russo and far too many child actors to keep track of. The film departs from the original material by adding a menagerie of pets, including a pig, which adds to the confusion. The original Helen and Frank agreed not to have any pets, since they clearly had their hands full with all the children.
The setting has been shifted from California to Connecticut, and while Frank is still in the Navy, Helen is a free spirit of sorts. Furthermore, she is now the one with 10 children, a half-dozen of whom are adopted, which explains the colorful rainbow representing every ethnicity.
Nicknamed "Mad Dog," much is made of the militaristic manner in which Frank Beardsley runs the household. His well-behaved brood has been carefully groomed to follow orders. However, Helen's hippies will have none of it, of course, and their natural abandon threatens to drive him crazy. In addition, all 18 of the children conspire to break up the marriage before it has a chance to gel, another plot development that is in direct contrast to the book
All the revisions aside, Yours, Mine & Ours is hilarious, provided you approach it with the mindset of a 5 to 8 year-old. This is one of those "uptight prude gets what's coming to him" prank comedies that is simply a string of silly, disconnected skits featuring plenty of barfing, water, and pratfalls, though the meanness is ultimately sweetened by a change-of-hearts which leads to the happily-ever-after ending.
Very Good (3 stars). Rating: PG for mild crude humor. Running time: 90 minutes. Studio: Paramount Pictures.
For more movie summaries, see Kam's Kapsules.