Cheaper by the Dozen (2003 film)
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| Cheaper by the Dozen | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Shawn Levy |
| Written by | Craig Titley Sam Harper Joel Cohen Alec Sokolow |
| Produced by | Michael Barnathan Robert Simonds |
| Starring | Steve Martin Bonnie Hunt Tom Welling Piper Perabo Hilary Duff Jacob Smith Alyson Stoner Kevin G. Schmidt Morgan York Forrest Landis Liliana Mumy Blake Woodruff Shane Kinsman Brent Kinsman Ashton Kutcher |
| Narrated by | Bonnie Hunt |
| Music by | Christophe Beck |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | Template:Film US |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $40 million |
| Box office | $190,212,113 |
Cheaper by the Dozen is a 2003 American comedy film about a family with 12 children (seven boys and five girls). The film takes its title from the 1948 biography of the same name of Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth and their 12 children, but other than the title and the concept of a family with 12 children, the film bears no resemblance to the book nor its movie adaption. 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.
Plot
Kate Baker (Bonnie Hunt) narrates a story about her large family: her husband Tom (Steve Martin) is a football coach at a small rural college, Kate is hoping to publish a book on parenting, and all while they manage their twelve children, eleven of which live at home.
When Tom unexpectedly receives an offer, from an old friend, to coach at a large university, the family moves to Evanston, Chicago despite the protests of the children. Charlie Baker, Tom's oldest son, is reluctant to leave his girlfriend, Beth, and the others simply don't want to leave their friends and home. The atmosphere at the new house-- which is absolutely huge-- is tense, and the situation at school is even worse. Charlie is harassed for being a "country boy" and Mark is bullied.
When Kate's book is picked up for publication, she is required to do a national book tour to promote it. Tom proves unable to balance his new position and maintenance of the household, so he hires their oldest daughter Nora and her boyfriend Hank to manage the other children. The children detest Hank, and make him the target of antagonistic pranks, prompting him to refuse to assist in baby-sitting. Chaos ensues, at a neighbour child's birthday, which the Baker children were forbidden to go to, resulting in major property damage and the hospitalization of Dylan.
Kate is forced to cut short the book tour to take charge of the situation. Her publisher decides to create additional promotion for the book by inviting The Oprah Winfrey Show to tape a segment about the Bakers in their home. Despite much coaching from Kate, the Bakers are not able to demonstrate the loving, strongly bonded family that Kate described in the book. When a fight erupts before the segment starts, it is cancelled.
As a result of the fight, son Mark feels unwanted and runs away. Despite the efforts of the Bakers, their friends, and the police, they are unable to find Mark. Tom indulges a hunch that Mark is trying to run back to their old home, and finds him on a train departing Chicago for their old hometown of Midland, Indiana. Reuniting with the rest of the family, they realize that despite all that has happened, they are still a strong and caring family, and they begin to address their issues with each other and with the upheaval of moving to the city.
Ultimately, Tom resigns his position at the university and settles for a less time-consuming job, but the family stays in Evanston. The film ends with Kate's narration explaining that the family is closer as a result of their experiences, and that her book was successful because of their strength.
Cast
- Steve Martin as Tom Baker, husband of Kate Baker and father of their 12 children. He sacrificed his dream of coaching at a big school to fulfill his dream of raising a large family.
- Bonnie Hunt as Kate Baker, the mother of the 12 children and wife of Tom Baker. The loss of a sister in childhood inspired her to have a large family. She sacrificed a dream of being a sports journalist to become a stay-at-home mom. She later quickly becomes used to the lifestyle of a professional book writer, but ultimately misses her family and abandons her new career.
- Piper Perabo as Nora Baker, the oldest Baker child. Her attempts to establish her own life are sidelined when her father requires her help during her mother's absences. Initially resentful of her treatment and of her much younger siblings, she comes to embrace her love for family.
- Tom Welling as Charlie Baker, the second oldest child. The move to Chicago is toughest on Charlie since he spent almost his entire life in Midland. Treated as an outsider by his peers, he grows more detached from the family when Tom and Kate's careers pull them away from home. Only when he is kicked off the football team do his parents notice how much he is suffering.
- Hilary Duff as Lorraine Baker, the third child. Lorraine loves glamour and aspires to be a "fashion guru". She is closest to Sarah, her polar opposite, though they argue a lot.
- Kevin Schmidt as Henry Baker, the fourth child. He looks up to Charlie more than anyone else in the family. He plays the clarinet.
- Alyson Stoner as Sarah Baker, the fifth child. She describes herself as a master prankster, but her pranks tend to get out of control. Sarah is tomboyish and enjoys vigorous team sports.
- Jacob Smith as Jake Baker, the sixth child. Jake is a skateboarder and is closest to Sarah, and younger brother, Mike.
- Forrest Landis as Mark Baker, seventh child. Nearsighted and clumsy, Mark often feels as though he doesn't fit in with his athletic family. He has an affinity for pets. His disappearance is the catalyst that draws the family back together again.
- Liliana Mumy and Morgan York as Jessica and Kim Baker, fraternal twin girls, the eighth and ninth children. They are the smartest in the family, although their intellect goes largely unnoticed. They are often involved in Sarah's pranks.
- Blake Woodruff as Mike Baker, the tenth child. Mike is closet to his older brother, Jake, and spends most of his time hanging out with the older kids. He enjoys skateboarding, hockey, and performing ill-advised physical stunts.
- Shane and Brent Kinsman as Kyle and Nigel Baker, identical twin boys, the eleventh and twelfth children. They look up to all of their older siblings, but most enjoy participating in Sarah's pranks.
- Ashton Kutcher as Hank, Nora's boyfriend. Frequent target of Sarah's shenanigans, he dislikes children. When Nora reconnects with her family, she breaks up with him.
- Paula Marshall as Tina Shenk, Dylan's over-protective mother who distrusts the Baker children. She is generally mean-spirited.
- Steven Anthony Lawrence as Dylan Shenk, Tina's son.
- Richard Jenkins as Shake McGuire, Tom Baker's old football team mate who is now the director of the football program at the university. He offers Tom a university coaching job.
- Alan Ruck as Bill Shenk, Dylan's father who is kinder than Tina and actually likes the Bakers.
- Dax Shepard as Camera Crew Member
- Tiffany Dupont as Beth, Charlie's girlfriend who lives in Midland.
- Cody Linley as Quinn
- Regis Philbin as Himself
- Kelly Ripa as Herself
- Jared Padalecki as an unnamed bully who picks on Charlie for being the new kid in town
- Frank Welker as the voice of Gunner, the Bakers' pet dog
- Beans, Mark's pet frog. He is Mark's constant companion and only confidant.
Soundtrack
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm Just a Kid" | 1:24 |
| 2. | "Help" | 1:12 |
| 3. | "In Too Deep" | 2:46 |
| 4. | "What Christmas Should Be" | 3:10 |
Reception
Cheaper by the Dozen has been nominated and won several awards. The following is a list of these:
| Result | Type of award | Category | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominated | Teen Choice Award | Choice movie blush (Hilary Duff), Choice breakout movie star (male) (Tom Welling), Choice movie liplock | 2004[1] |
| Won | Young artist award | Best Ensemble Cast | |
| Nominated | Best performance in feature film (Alyson Stoner and Forrest Landis) |
Critical reception of the film was mixed to negative, with 23% of critics giving a positive review and an average score of 4.6 out of 10 according Rotten Tomatoes, based on 112 reviews.[2] The movie has an average score of 46 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 30 reviews.[3] At the U.S. box office, the film opened at #2 raking in $27,557,647 USD in its first opening weekend and got stuck at the runner up position the following week being held off the top spot by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Despite its negative reviews, it became a box office hit.