Tom Baker (Martin)
and wife Kate (Hunt) decide to move their family of twelve, plus
themselves, from small town Illinois to the big city after Tom
gets his dream job as football coach for his old college. At the
same time, Kate is also seeing her dreams come true as she is
called on a tour to promote her latest book, leaving Tom to deal
with coaching both players and kids. Soon, the happy family they
once had begins to fall apart, leaving both to decide between
their dreams or the livelihood of their family.
CRITIQUE
Cheaper by the
Dozen is the perfect family film. There is a lot of chaotic
fun here, but what really grounds this story, even though it's far
fetched, is that it doesn't look for easy answers to the problems
that present themselves. Director Shawn Levy draws a lot of funny
and heartwarming scenes out of Tom and Kate's dealings with the
kids, and the physical comedy will leave audiences, both parents
and kids, rolling on the floor.
The cast is also really well assembled. Steve Martin handles his
role with wit and sincerity, and Bonnie Hunt is always solid
support in a comedy. Few actresses have the ability to toss out a
throw-away one-liner like she does. They both make their
characters incredibly likable and endearing. Ashton Kutcher also
makes a hilarious cameo appearance as an actor on an ego trip.
This is one of the first roles he's had where I actually wanted to
see more of him, just so the kids could torture him a little more.
And the kids are
cute, of course, as is the movie itself. It's something both
parents and kids can readily identify with, which is a delight
considering only a select number of kids films actually manage to
do that. As a family film, this one is really fulfilling.
THE VIDEO
Fox presents Cheaper by
the Dozen in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The flipside
features the film in fullscreen format.
THE AUDIO
Fox presents Cheaper by
the Dozen in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound.
Also available are
Spanish and French Dolby Surround dub tracks. Optional subtitles
include English and Spanish.
THE EXTRAS
Deleted Scenes:
These are very funny scenes that were sadly cut out of the film.
One of the best features the kids teaching the football players
how to do math. Another I really liked featured a weazy,
geriatric babysitter, played by Eileen Brennan, who the kids try
to pull a prank on. These scenes really don't mean anything to
the final movie, but are very entertaining.
Director's Viewfinder: A short documentary where director
Shawn Levy talks about how he wanted a fresh cast of young
actors, how he had to play cheerleader to get the kids going,
and why he thinks family movies aren't going away.
Commentary: You can also choose audio commentary from
director Shawn Levy, or from the kids.
