When Admiral Frank Beardsley returns to his hometown after years of Coast Guard service, he meets his old flame Helen North at a high school reunion. Both recently widowed, the two find the old sparks again immediately and marry on a whim. There's one catch. Frank has eight children and Helen has ten children (many adopted).
Someone should tell the writers of Yours, Mine and Ours that chaos does not equal funny. Two parents, eighteen kids, one crazy nanny and one pig all live under the same house, so hilarity is supposed to ensue right? Well, not in this film. All of the laughs are few and far in between and when the movie is over, all you're left with is one big headache. Kids will most likely eat this one up but they deserve better films than this. It's no surprise that this film is a dud since its directed by Raja Gosnell. He is your typical bland director and he doesn't have much imagination. He always puts the lamest jokes and pratfalls into his films like Dennis Quaid falling face first into a bucket of paint.
Dennis Quaid plays the uptight father and he pretty much makes a fool of himself here. He seems to be trying so hard to get a laugh from the audience but he fails. I'm surprised he took this role since this is a little out of his usual element but I guess Tim Allen was busy. Rene Russo plays his wife and she was okay but a little bland. After this film and Two for the Money, she needs a new agent because she actually is talented. There were so many kids that it was hard to keep track of them. Most of them were either bland or they played annoying characters. There were a few that showed a little potential for the future but I wouldn't hold my breath. In the end, a weak story, very few laughs, weak acting and bad direction equals a poor film and this movie is better left on the shelf. Rent the original instead. Rating 3/10
