Cheaper By The Dozen: Classic Steve Martin Comedy

My family has always enjoyed movies starring Steve Martin. He is an all around funny guy and most of his movies are full of crazy antics and good for a few laughs. We recently decided to watch Cheaper By The Dozen 2 and thought it would be fun to watch the first movie before the later sequel. It turned out that most members of the house had seen the first movie but one had not. This was also a reason for viewing Cheaper By The Dozen, a hit movie from 2003.

Plot

Cheaper By The Dozen stars Steve Martin (Tom) and Bonnie Hunt (Kate), who are married and had aspirations of having 8 children since their high school sweetheart days. However, Mother Nature, dealt them a few extras in the way of two sets of twins and they ended up with 12 children.

Martin plays the role of Tom Baker, husband and father with a career of being a football coach in a small town. He has dreams of one day becoming a college team coach and when the opportunity is offered, he decided to move the family to the big city.

Bonnie Hunt plays the role of Kate Baker, wife and mother to the dozen kids. She is a stay at home mom and an aspiring writer who has been working on a novel for some time now.

Life gets complicated when the Baker family moves to the big city. The kids all hate the new city, schools and are having a hard time making new friends. Tom is just settling into his new job when Kate gets the announcement that her novel has been accepted for publication. The catch is that she will need to go to New York City immediately to finalize the deal. Her visit becomes extended to include a book tour and Tom has to juggle his job as coach and managing the house and children.

It becomes obvious that something will have to give and Tom has to decide between his dream job or his family. Kate also has to decide if she wants to pursue her writing career or be an at-home mom.

My Thoughts On Cheaper By The Dozen

I enjoyed watching this movie. I didn't remember too many of the details about it from when I originally saw it so it was fun to see it again.

This movie is funny but not so much as you would want to see it over and over again. There are lots of antics pulled by the children. Most are good for a chuckle but nothing to roll on the floor laughing about. Some come off as just plain dumb.

Martin and Hunt work well together and fit their roles of husband and wife well with a comfortable amount of chemistry between the two. The children are all memorable and cute for the most part. You will recognize Hilary Duff who plays the second oldest daughter in the Baker family and Ashton Kutcher the boyfriend of the oldest daughter.

Cast And Other Movie Details

Steve Martin as Tom Baker
Bonnie Hunt as Kate Baker
Piper Perabo as Nora Baker
Tom Welling as Charlie Baker
Hilary Duff as Lorraine Baker
Kevin Schmidt as Henry Baker
Jacob Smith as Jake Baker
Alyson Stoner as Sarah Baker
Forrest Landis as Mark Baker
Morgan York as Kim Baker
Liliana Mumy as Jessica Baker
Blake Woodruff as Mike Baker
Brent Kinsman as Nigel Baker
Shane Kinsman as Kyle Baker
Ashton Kutcher as Hank, Nora's boyfriend

Director: Shawn Levy

Rated: PG

Running Time: 98 Minutes

Recommendation

This is a good family film to watch with the classic Steve Martin style of humor. Children will especially enjoy it. It's funny and good for a few hours of entertainment. If you are a Steve Martin fan, you will also enjoy this movie. I give Cheaper By The Dozen 4 Stars.

© 2006 Birdfeather