Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)
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A football coach with a massive family must navigate the chaos of moving and managing his twelve children during his wife's book tour.
The story
Tom Baker is a football coach with twelve children living in a small rural town. When he accepts a job offer at his alma mater, the family moves to a larger home in Evanston, Illinois. The transition is fraught with tension, and the situation at school becomes increasingly difficult. When his wife, Kate, leaves for a national book tour, Tom struggles to manage the household alone. He attempts to hire help and even brings his football players into the house to practice, leading to a chaotic environment where the children's behavior begins to spiral out of control.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Tom Baker, a football coach with twelve children, moves his family from a rural town to Evanston, Illinois, for a new job. While his wife Kate is away on a book tour, Tom struggles to manage the large household. He initially hires the eldest daughter, Nora, and her boyfriend, Hank, but they are quickly dismissed after a prank. Tom then brings his football players into the house to practice, which leads to chaos and the removal of his son Charlie from the team. Kate returns to manage the situation when she hears of the turmoil. A planned segment with Oprah Winfrey is canceled after a heated argument between the children. Following this, the family reunites and addresses their issues, finding a happy medium. Kate's book becomes successful, and Tom finds a new job that allows him more time with his children.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Shawn Levy
- Writers
- Sam Harper · screenplay; Joel Cohen · screenplay; Alec Sokolow · screenplay; Craig Titley · story
- Cast and characters
- Steve Martin · Tom Baker; Bonnie Hunt · Kate Baker; Hilary Duff · Lorraine Baker; Tom Welling · Charlie Baker; Piper Perabo · Nora Baker; Kevin G. Schmidt · Henry Baker; Alyson Stoner · Sarah Baker; Jacob Smith · Jake Baker
- Genres
- comedy
- Themes
- family; parenting; sibling bonds
- Tone and mood
- lighthearted; slapstick
- Premise and plot tags
- family comedy; remake; dysfunctional family
- Reception
- The film received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics, though it was praised by some as lighthearted fun and performed well at the box office.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 46 · scale: 100 · review count: 30
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Award · Worst Actor · Nomination
- Production trivia
- It is a remake of a 1950 film.; The film was inspired by a semi-autobiographical book.; The film was released on the same day as The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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