Steve Martin plays Tom Baker, a football coach who takes his wife Kate and their twelve children from a small rural college in Midland, Illinois, to Evanston, Illinois, when he lands a job at Northwestern University. The premise is simple: a big family moves to a bigger city, and the chaos follows them. What starts as a happy adjustment goes sideways when the parents get pulled away from home, leaving the kids bored and increasingly mischievous.
The film is a remake of the 1950 version, itself based on the semi-autobiographical book Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and his sister Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. That book is about a real family, and the 1950 film drew directly on it. This version, directed by Shawn Levy and written by Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow, and Sam Harper, has almost nothing to do with the source material. The only nod to the Gilbreths comes in a passing mention of their name.
Trailer, via Disney Plus UK.
Tom and Kate Baker: Parents Under Pressure
Tom is a football coach who takes a job at Northwestern, a move that forces his family to leave Midland, Illinois, behind. Kate is a writer who has finished a book about her life, and she hopes to send it to her friend for publication. When Tom accepts a coaching offer from his old teammate Shake McGuire, he insists the whole family vote on whether to move. The kids lose the vote, but Tom insists anyway, demanding they return to Evanston for a better home and more space.
Kate’s book becomes the engine of the plot. Once it is ready for publication, she is required to do a national book tour to promote it. That leaves Tom alone with twelve children. He hires his oldest daughter, Nora, and her boyfriend Hank to manage the kids while he handles everything else in the household. That plan fails fast.
The film’s central problem is that it sets up a family dynamic and then refuses to commit to it. Tom and Kate are both working parents, and the movie spends most of its runtime showing them being absent. When Tom tries to step in himself, he quickly realizes he cannot handle the children on his own. The film acknowledges the strain but never fully explores it. The parents are busy, the kids are left to their own devices, and the story runs on that tension without ever resolving it.
Twelve Kids, One Problematic Plan
The Baker children are the engine of the chaos. Each one gets a name and a brief moment, though the film cannot spend much time on all of them. Lorraine, Charlie, Nora, Henry, Sarah, Jake, Jessica, Kim, Mark, and Mike all appear, along with the younger children played by Liliana Mumy, Morgan York, Forrest Landis, and Blake Woodruff. Piper Perabo plays Nora, Tom Welling plays Charlie, and Hilary Duff plays Lorraine.
The film introduces the kids through a vote on the move, which they lose. That scene is meant to establish the family’s democratic process, but it mostly functions as a way to get everyone on screen at once. The vote is over quickly, and the family is on its way to Evanston within minutes of the decision.
Once there, the situation at home is tense, and the situation at school is even worse. The kids are bored, and boredom turns to mischief. When Nora and Hank arrive to manage the children, the younger kids target Hank with a prank. They soak his underwear in raw meat and sic the family dog Gunner on him to bite his buttocks. Hank refuses to babysit after that, and Nora drives off with him while Tom lectures the kids for their prank.
The prank is the film’s biggest set piece, and it works because the setup is so simple. The kids want attention, and they get it by doing something outrageous. The film does not punish them for it, which is the right call. The joke is that the parents are so overwhelmed that they cannot control the children, even when they try.
Nora and Hank: Babysitting Disaster
Nora is the eldest child, and the film treats her as the responsible one. She is hired to manage the other kids while Tom is away, but the arrangement falls apart immediately. When Hank arrives, the younger children target him with a prank involving raw meat and the family dog. The result is that Nora drives off with Hank, and Tom lectures the kids for their prank.
Hank is described as self-absorbed, and that description fits the scene perfectly. He is not a professional caregiver, and he is not prepared for twelve children. The film uses him as a stand-in for anyone who tries to step in when the parents are absent. He fails spectacularly, and the kids know it.
The scene is funny, but it also points to a larger problem. The film keeps trying to find solutions for the Baker family, and none of them stick. Tom tries to hire a housekeeper, but nobody is willing to work with a family as large as the Bakers. That failure is the film’s clearest statement about the family’s position: they are too big to fit into normal life.
The Football Game: Chaos in the Living Room
When Kate leaves for her book tour, Tom realizes he cannot handle the children on his own after a chaotic night. He tries to hire a housekeeper, but nobody is willing to work with a family as large as the Bakers. So he brings the football players from work into his house for game practice in the living room, preparing for the Saturday night football game. While the players practice, the children perform chores and play their own games.
That arrangement does not last. The kids start causing trouble at school, and the film cuts back and forth between the two groups: the coaches in the living room and the children in the halls. The contrast is meant to be comic, but it also shows the family’s real problem. The adults are trying to keep the children occupied, and the children are finding ways to resist.
The scene is the film’s most chaotic, and it is also its most honest. The Baker family is too big to function normally, and the film admits it by showing the house overrun with people. The football players are not there to help; they are there to practice. The children are not there to learn; they are there to cause trouble. The whole system is broken, and the film does not pretend otherwise.
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and the 2022 Remake
The film’s sequel, Cheaper by the Dozen 2, was released in 2005. A remake appeared in 2022 on Disney+. Neither has the same cultural footprint as this 2003 version, which remains the definitive entry in the franchise.
The 2022 remake is a different beast entirely. It is a Disney+ release, and it exists in a world where streaming is the default. The 2003 film is a theatrical release, and it played in cinemas across the country. The two versions share a title and a premise, but they are otherwise unrelated.
For now, the franchise rests on this 2003 film and its sequel.
The Film’s Critical Reception
The film was released on December 25, 2003, by 20th Century Fox. It grossed $190 million worldwide against a $40 million budget, despite mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. The score is 6.3 out of 10, which matches the published critical score.
That reception is not surprising. The film is a remake of a 1950 film, which was itself based on a book about a real family. The 2003 version changes nearly everything about the source material, and it does not bother to hide that fact. The film acknowledges the Gilbreths only in passing, and it builds its own story around a family that shares a name but nothing else.
The film’s success came from audience appeal, not critical praise. It made $190 million against a $40 million budget, which is a solid return. The score of 6.3 out of 10 reflects that middle ground: the film is not a disaster, but it is not a triumph either.
A Family Too Big for Normal Life
The film’s central idea is that the Baker family is too big to fit into normal life. The move to Evanston is supposed to solve that problem, but it only makes it worse. The family is forced to adapt, and the adaptation fails. The parents are too busy, the kids are too bored, and the house is too full.
The film does not offer a solution. It simply presents the problem and lets the chaos play out. The football players in the living room are a symbol of this failure. They are there to practice, and they are there to watch the children. The children are there to cause trouble, and they are there to resist. The whole system is broken, and the film does not fix it.
That is the film’s strength, and it is also its weakness. The Baker family is a real family, and the problems they face are real problems. The film captures that feeling, even when it changes the names and the details. The 2003 film is a remake, but it is a remake with a point of view. It is not a faithful adaptation; it is a reinterpretation.
The film’s score is 6.3 out of 10, which is a fair assessment. It is a solid family comedy, but it is not a great one. The jokes land, the cast delivers, and the premise is strong. But the film never commits to its own ideas, and that lack of commitment shows in the final product.
Key Facts Box
- Title: Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)
- Director: Shawn Levy
- Writers: Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow, Sam Harper
- Runtime: 98 minutes
- Genres: Comedy, Family
- Release date: December 25, 2003
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Budget: $40 million
- Worldwide gross: $190 million
- Critical score: 6.3 out of 10
Cast List
- Tom Baker: Steve Martin
- Kate Baker: Bonnie Hunt
- Lorraine Baker: Hilary Duff
- Charlie Baker: Tom Welling
- Nora Baker: Piper Perabo
- Henry Baker: Kevin G. Schmidt
- Sarah Baker: Alyson Stoner
- Jake Baker: Jacob Smith
- Jessica Baker: Liliana Mumy
- Kim Baker: Morgan York
- Mark Baker: Forrest Landis
- Mike Baker: Blake Woodruff
- Supporting roles: Brent and Shane Kinsman, Paula Marshall, Alan Ruck
Final Verdict
Cheaper by the Dozen is a family comedy that knows what it wants to be. It wants to be funny, it wants to be warm, and it wants to be about a family that is too big for normal life. It succeeds at being funny and warm, but it fails at being committed.
The film is a remake, and it is a remake that admits its distance from the source material. That honesty is rare in Hollywood, and it is a credit to the filmmakers. The film does not pretend to be a faithful adaptation of the 1950 film or the book. It is a new story with a familiar name, and it is willing to live with that.
The film’s flaws are structural. It sets up a family dynamic and then refuses to explore it. It introduces a problem and then refuses to solve it. The result is a film that is entertaining but forgettable. It is a good time at the movies, but it is not a great one.
The score of 6.3 out of 10 reflects that balance. The film is not a failure, but it is not a triumph. It is a solid family comedy that will please audiences and irritate critics in equal measure.
The film is a reminder that family comedies are a genre with rules, and this film follows those rules. It is a comedy about a family that is too big for normal life, and it treats that idea with respect. The film does not mock the Bakers; it celebrates them. That celebration is the film’s heart, and it is what makes it work.
The film is not a masterpiece, but it is not a failure. It is a solid family comedy that will please audiences and irritate critics in equal measure. It is a film that knows its audience, and it delivers what that audience wants.
The film is a good time at the movies, and it is worth seeing. It is not a film that will change your life, but it is a film that will make you laugh. That is a genuine accomplishment, and it is one that the film achieves consistently.
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