| By Fred Topel
In Theaters November 23
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Dennis Quaid is a respected actor who has touched our hearts in dramas, roused our adrenaline in action flicks and made the ladies swoon in romances. Now he gets covered in goop. Yours, Mine and Ours casts Quaid as the patriarch of a family with 18 children. Though much wackiness ensues, it was the love story between the parents that appealed to him.
“To me what set this apart was that it was a romantic comedy, as well as being a family film and it was a really good script, done by really good people, and that was why. And Rene Russo was in it.”
Though brother Randy Quaid is more known for the broad slapstick comedy, Dennis did not consult him. “We both grew up on Laurel and Hardy, the Three Stooges and all that. It was really a lot of fun to do in truth, and there was no pain involved. You get whacked in the head after a couple of times, but it was a blast.”
When it came to the goop, Quaid got into the Nickelodeon spirit. “Green slime is something you aspire to be slimed. That was fun, because we were shooting out in the middle of like Palmdale for that Home Depot thing, so I’d get that slime and then I’d go outside and it was about 95 degrees, and it just like baked you. I think I was green for about three weeks. That was the last thing we shot.”
Quaid’s character, Frank Beardsley, is a coast guard admiral, so he runs his side of the family like the military. This comes into conflict with his new wife and her kids’ artsy bohemian lifestyle. In real life, Quaid falls somewhere in between.
“I’m not the discipline guy. I’m not a military type of guy to tell you the truth. I like to think I’m a fun dad, but I’m not like that ‘free to be you and me’ thing either.”
One parental argument in the film concerns spanking with Frank arguing in favor. Not so for the real Dennis Quaid. “I’m not for it, never had to spank. I wasn’t really raised like that either. I think I swatted my son’s hand once time when he was a little kid when he tried to touch the stove. I never tried that again, that was more of a reaction than anything else.”
Though the Beardsleys do a good job with their 18 kids, Quaid warns parents to be cautious. “I think this movie is a really good case for birth control, that’s what I think. Think twice. Don’t try this at home. Not only did we have 18 kids, we had 18 stand-ins for 18 kids, and the back up dogs and the back up pigs.”
Seriously though, Quaid got along well with the kids. “Dealing with the kids is great, you just have enough Ritalin to combat all the sugar.” Okay, really seriously not. “Actually the kids are great. The older ones helped out with the younger ones, and then of course I have my trailer that I could always go to. I have it all to myself, relax. Comedy’s hard, especially with this, it’s really hard to be choreographed and timing has to be right. A lot of that timing issue happens in the editing of it, but I like variety and this is not something I’ve really done before, it’s something I really wanted to try.”
Speaking of that pig, a scene where he gets a big, greasy smooch from the animal tried Quaid’s patience more than any of the kids’ scenes. “It was about 35 takes. The pig was not in the right position, then they smeared stuff on my lips just so the pig would find it appetizing, it’s was like out of a garbage can. Not only that, she had gas. About three takes you’d have this big pig fart. It was a low. A nadir point in my career.”
Rene Russo plays Mrs. Beardsley, formerly Helen North, a high school sweetheart who adds her 10 kids to Frank’s eight. “I’m just so glad she was doing it. She’s a great lady, she’s a very funny comedienne and she’s really easy on the eyes, for God’s sakes. And that’s the one thing I think that my character in the movie and I have in common is that we both think that Rene Russo really looks really good.”
Having met only briefly once before, the chemistry just happened on the set. “I haven’t a clue, it’s a mystery to me. We just really clicked. I think it helps if you like each other actually.”
Suffice it to say, there was no Rene Russo in Quaid’s high school class. “I went to my 10 year class reunion. It was the only one I went to, I think I was working on the 20 year. I was kind of a loner in high school.”
Now a three decade veteran in the business, Quaid watches the new generation work their way up. Even his own son has gotten the filmmaker bug.
“He’s made four movies in the last month and a half on his video class. I go home and he’s, ‘Don’t bother me, I’m editing.’ Okay. I’m being very nice to him because one day I will be working for him.”
Maybe filmmaking will one day be a family affair for the Quaids. Until 13-year-old Jack graduates high school at least, the only family affair is Yours, Mine and Ours.
“Like I said, it’s a romantic comedy with kids. There’s something for everybody in this. Most of the time when I go with my son to a kid’s film, I wind up having a really nice nap. I think this is something for everybody. They’d get a lot of laughs.”
Yours, Mine and Ours opens November 23. |
