Movie shows warm side of blended family of 20

Randy Quaid imparts something kinder to the 'Home Alone'-type comedy.
By CHRIS HEWITT
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
The remake of "Yours, Mine and Ours" barely deals with the most interesting question -- what would it be like to live in a family with 18 kids? -- but it answers several others.
For instance, the comedy about a man (Dennis Quaid) with eight kids who blends his family with a woman (Rene Russo) with 10 tells us how big of a difference Quaid can make in a movie. Quaid's wily charisma is a big asset here, turning what is basically a "Home Alone"-style pratfall comedy into something warmer and kinder. He doesn't do anything huge, but check out his date with Russo, when she tells him about her hefty brood and he underplays his reaction by simply widening his eyes and smiling.
A question that has been on my mind for a while is: Why doesn't Linda Hunt, an Oscar winner for "The Year of Living Dangerously," work more? The answer, apparently, is that she gets offered nothing roles like hers here, a housekeeper who can't keep house. Heck, Edna in last year's "Incredibles" -- a character that appeared to be modeled on Hunt -- made a bigger impact, even though she had less screen time and isn't real.
But the most important question is: Can a movie with lots of mean behavior in it avoid seeming mean-spirited? Turns out the answer is "Yes." The 18 kids do lots of rotten things as they attempt to break up their parents, but the movie has so much affection for them that it never becomes crass like, oh, last year's "Christmas With the Kranks."
I'm not saying "Yours, Mine and Ours" feels real or anything -- Quaid and Russo aren't exhausted enough, for starters. But, within the movie's daffy unreality, this family of 20 manages to supply some moments that feel recognizably human.