Movie Type: Domestic Comedy, Family-Oriented Comedy
Themes: Eccentric Families, Parenthood, Mischievous Children
Main Cast: Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Piper Perabo, Tom Welling, Hilary Duff
Release Year: 2003
Country: US
Run Time: 98 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Shawn Levy directs the family-oriented comedy Cheaper by the Dozen, a loose remake of the 1950 film starring Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy, which was itself based on a novel. Tom (Steve Martin) and Kate Baker (Bonnie Hunt) have made many sacrifices in their professional lives in order to raise their 12 children. When Tom is offered a job as a Division I college football coach, he moves the entire pack to a suburb of Chicago. This move shakes up the whole family, especially when Kate's memoirs get published and she takes off on a book tour. The lack of parental guidance creates problems for all the Baker kids, particularly handsome jock Charlie (Tom Welling), fashion plate Lorraine (Hilary Duff), and grown child Nora (Piper Perabo). Ashton Kucher stars in a cameo role as Nora's actor boyfriend, Hank. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Scott Meehan - Art Director, Nancy Klopper - Casting, Ira Shuman - Co-producer, Sanja Milkovic Hays - Costume Designer, Marty Eli Schwartz - First Assistant Director, Shawn Levy - Director, George Folsey, Jr. - Editor, Christophe Beck - Composer (Music Score), Dave Jordan - Musical Direction/Supervision, Nina Ruscio - Production Designer, Jonathan Brown - Cinematographer, Ben Myron - Producer, Robert Simonds - Producer, Michael Barnathan - Producer, William Matthews - Set Designer, Jann K. Engel - Set Designer, Mark Haber - Set Designer, Stephanie Gilliam - Set Designer, Will Batts - Set Designer, David Obermeyer - Sound/Sound Designer, Ernie F. Orsatti - Stunts Coordinator, Craig Titley - Screen Story, Joel Cohen - Screenwriter, Sam Harper - Screenwriter, Alec Sokolow - Screenwriter, Cosmas Paul Bolger Jr. - Visual Effects Supervisor, Dave Kelsey - Special Effects Coordinator, Andrew DeCristofaro - Supervising Sound Editor, Digital Filmworks - Visual Effects, 11:11 Mediaworks - Visual Effects, K.C. Fox - Set Decorator, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. - Book Author, Ernestine Gilbreth Carey - Book Author
Cheaper by the Dozen is a 2003 American comedy film about a family with twelve children (seven boys and five girls). The film takes its title from the 1948 biography of Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth and their twelve children, but other than the title and the concept of a family with twelve children, the film bears no resemblance to the book. The film was directed by Shawn Levy, who also helped produce the sequel Cheaper by the Dozen 2. It was released on Thursday, December 25, 2003 by 20th Century Fox.
The Baker family is a happy and large family with 12 children who reside in Midland, Indiana. One day Tom Baker gets an offer for his dream job: Become the coach of the Stallions. Tom returns home with the new job and promotion in the urban near north Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois with education advantages and a new vehicle; although Kate approves, his children overhear and object to his proposed actions in a family conference. Even though the children vote about what they would rather do, Tom decides to accept the job and move to the city, many miles away from their current countryside home.
One day, aspiring author Kate receives a call, telling her that her new book is perfect and she should go on a promotion tour, so she makes the decision to leave, and leaves her husband alone with the 12 children. Problems soon erupt, but everything comes to a halt when, after being grounded, the Baker kids sneak out and wreck their friend's birthday party. Kate ends the book tour and returns home, angry at Tom for not telling her that he could not handle it.
The state of the family's condition seriously comes to light after Kate discovers a disturbing note on Mark's bed and Mark has gone missing. The family begins searching, but after calling the police, Tom realizes that Mark's favorite place has always been the Midland house, and frantically makes his way to the railway station. He soon finds Mark, on a train heading towards Midland. They ride the train together to Midland and are greeted by the family at the railway station the next morning. They apologize to each other and Tom decides to quit his football career to find a job which would provide more time for him to spend with his family. While they return to the city and begin to adjust to their new life, Kate's book is published and stays at the number one at the bestseller's list on the book chart for 12 months.
Cast and crew
Steve Martin as Tom Baker, the father of the twelve children and husband of Kate Baker
Bonnie Hunt as Kate Baker, the mother of the twelve children and wife of Tom Baker
Piper Perabo as Nora Baker, the eldest child of the Bakers
Reception of the film has been generally positive, and ranked number 10 on IMDb's Top Movies of 2003. Critics gave good reviews to Martin, Hunt, Duff, and Welling alonside the rest of the cast for the film.
