Tom and Kate Baker each share a lucky number: 12. It’s the
number of college football games Tom coaches each year, it’s the number of
times they zero out their bank account to make ends meet, and it’s the number
of kids they try to keep track of. The Baker family have lived a happy life in
the country, but that changes when Tom is offered his dream job of coaching in
Chicago. Whilst arriving at a new house and new school is nerve-wracking enough
the Bakers’ lives are thrown into further disarray when Kate’s book is picked
up for publishing and she has to leave for a 2-week book tour. But as both
parents start following their dream careers, their dream family begins to turn
into a nightmare.
I remember really enjoying this film when I was younger and
it’s one of those classics that still work when you revisit it as an adult.
I’ve never seen the original version, so I can’t really comment on how this one
stands as a remake, but the fact that it still manages to bring a tear to my
eye as a woman over 20 has to speak for itself surely. The casting is lovely
with a genuine sense of family consistent throughout the generational gaps of the
adults, teens, and the kids, which I think is what makes this movie as cute and
loveable as it is.
Tom and Kate Baker each share a lucky number: 12. It’s the
number of college football games Tom coaches each year, it’s the number of
times they zero out their bank account to make ends meet, and it’s the number
of kids they try to keep track of. The Baker family have lived a happy life in
the country, but that changes when Tom is offered his dream job of coaching in
Chicago. Whilst arriving at a new house and new school is nerve-wracking enough
the Bakers’ lives are thrown into further disarray when Kate’s book is picked
up for publishing and she has to leave for a 2-week book tour. But as both
parents start following their dream careers, their dream family begins to turn
into a nightmare.
What we’ve got here is a very cute and heart warming picture
of the nuclear family. The number of children may exceed the ‘normal’ amount,
but what this does is create the perfect family I think. We’ve got an adult
daughter trying to live her own life, we’ve got the typical teens who are
either in conflict with their siblings or their parents, we then have the double-digits
who are just trying to find a comfortable medium between kid and adolescent,
and then we’ve got the adorable yet troublesome little ‘ns who just like
creating problems for everyone. All the stereotypical and contrasting labels are
covered here and when they do all come together, it’s really lovely to see and that’s what makes this movie so cute and
brings a tear to the eye.
Starring Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Piper Perabo, Tom
Welling, Hilary Duff, Kevin G. Schmidt, Alyson Stoner, Jacob Smith, Liliana
Mummy, Morgan York, Forrest Landis, Blake Woodruff, Brent and Shane Kinsman,
Richard Jenkins, and Ashton Kutcher, Cheaper
By the Dozen is a very cute and light little family movie that’s filled
with change, drama, and plenty of comedy. It’s a fun little one that stands up
well for me.
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