Cheaper By the Dozen-Special Edition (2003)

"Two Thumbs Up!  Ebert and Roeper
"Hilarious Chaos and Heartwarming Fun!  Jeanne Wolf's Hollywood
"Out of a possible 10, it gets a 12!  Joel Siegal, Good Morning America

Editor's Note College sweethearts Tom (Steve Martin) and Kate (Bonnie Hunt) both dreamed of having both fulfilling careers and a huge family. But after they had a few kids, Kate gave up her career as a sportswriter, Tom abandoned his hope of becoming the coach of their alma mater's football team, and they moved their brood from the city to the country. Now, after 12 children and a happy life in rural Illinois, Tom has been offered the chance to live his dream and coach the Stallions. No sooner does the family pack up and move to Chicago to pursue Tom's dream job than Kate's ship comes in as well: a publisher has picked up her manuscript based on her experiences raising 12 children. Of course, there's a hitch. Kate has to go to New York for a few days, leaving Tom as the primary caregiver for his clan. Can Tom hold it together with his kids--who didn't want to move in the first place--pulling him one way and the university pulling him the other? Shawn Levy directs this likable update of the 1950 film of the same title, which was based on a true (and very different) story.

	Alyson Stoner
	Blake Woodruff
	Bonnie Hunt
	Brent Kinsman
	Forrest Landis
	Hilary Duff
	Jacob Smith
	Kevin Schmidt
	Liliana Mumy
	Morgan York
	Piper Perabo
	Shane Kinsman
	Steve Martin
	Tom Welling
	Ben Myron - Producer
	Ernestine Gilbreth Carey - Based On Novel By
	Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. - Based On Novel By
	George Folsey Jr. - Editor
	Jonathan Brown - Cinematographer
	Michael Barnathan - Producer
	Robert Simonds - Producer
	Sam Harper, et al. - Screenplay
	Shawn Levy - Director

Entertainment Weekly
"[A] sprightly, updated remake." 01/09/2004 p.59

Chicago Sun-Times
"[T]he movie is lighthearted fun, providing little character bits for all of the family members." 12/24/2003 p.47

Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
Hey, I liked Cheaper by the Dozen. These actors are skilled at being nice. It's just that the movie settles when it ought to push. Consider the Bonnie Hunt character. Here she's reasonable, exasperated, and loves that lunk of a husband. But compare her work here with what she did in Stolen Summer (you remember, that 2002 "Project Greenlight" movie I recommended, but you ignored my review and went to see Sorority Boys instead). In that one she was the mother of a large Irish Catholic family in Chicago, where she had edge and sass and was not afraid to smack a potty-mouth up alongside the head. - Roger Ebert

San Francisco Chronicle 8 of 10
Director Shawn Levy ("Big Fat Liar," "Just Married") and three clever screenwriters sneaked in an advertisement for the merits of a multitude of siblings -- they'll defend you in the schoolyard and the larger world as well -- along with a gentle plea to live and let live. This subtle message raises the worth of "Cheaper.'' It's not just a feel-good holiday movie, though audiences, especially youngsters, will certainly walk out of it feeling good...The child actors are uniformly adorable and avoid those precious mannerisms for which their breed is known. Ashton Kutcher gets credit for spoofing himself in a small role as Perabo's vain boyfriend, an aspiring actor who wants nothing to do with her family. He's still resentful that the kids once set his pants on fire. - Ruthe Stein