Main Cast: Rene Russo, Dennis Quaid, Linda
Hunt
Release Date 16 March 2006
Running Time 88 minutes
Based on a film from 1968 (that starred Lucille Ball and Henry
Fonda), this is a genially sprawling family comedy about two huge
families that come together to create total chaos.
Helen (Renee Russo) is the free-spirited mother of ten, including
six adopted children of various races. Meanwhile, Admiral Frank
Beardsley (Dennis Quaid) has eight well-trained Anglo Saxon
overachievers, including a class president shoo-in (Sean Faris), a
cheerleader (Katija Pevec) and a pair of sugar-addict twins
(Brecken and Bridger Palmer).
Among those on Helen's free-spirit side are a cute guitar-playing
hipster chick (Danielle Panabaker), a sullen emo boy (Drake Bell),
a rapper (Lil' JJ), a hissy-fit throwing young Asian fashion
designer (Lao North), twins from India (Jennifer and Jessica
Habib), and a potbellied pig.
When Helen and Frank impulsively wed after reuniting at a class
reunion, their differing clans resent suddenly having to share
bedrooms and bathroom time with such polar opposites. Devious plans
are hatched, wars waged, and very few heads escape being doused
with paint or other thick gooey matter, especially poor Frank's,
whose regimented military mind can hardly fathom the complexities
of so many run-amok age groups.
