Movie Review: Cheaper by the Dozen
Rated by 1 member
What Parents Should Know
The movie includes some schoolyard-style naughty words and
PG-style sexual references that get close to a PG-13. When
asked about his 12 children, Tom smirks about his wife: "I
couldn't keep her off me." He explains that he had a vasectomy
but did not wait for it to become effective, resulting in the
second set of twins. And part of the plot concerns the oldest
child (an adult) moving in with her boyfriend (which does not
bother her parents) and whether they should be allowed to sleep
together when they visit the family (which does). Some audience
members may be offended by the portrayal of the family as
vaguely Catholic, with references to Jesus and a rosary but no
evidence of religious observance. There is comic peril with
some minor injuries. The product placement (Crate & Barrel)
is particularly (and annoyingly) intrusive.
Families who see this movie could talk about how they work together to make sure that they achieve a balance between time for work and time for each other.
Common Sense Media Review
This is not a movie; it is a product, with a script right
off the assembly line and direction on automatic pilot. Its
intended audience of 8-14-year-olds will probably enjoy it very
much. But those who care about that audience will be
disappointed that the people behind this movie do not realize
that they owe those children some imagination and
sincerity.
The movie takes its title and family size from the classic book about the real-life Gilbreth family but has no other connection to the original and is inferior to it in every aspect.
Steve Martin plays Tom Baker, a coach who is offered his dream job at his alma mater just as his wife Kate (Bonnie Hunt) hears that her book about the family has been accepted for publication. The eleven children still living at home do not want to move, but Tom promises that it will make them a stronger and happier family. But the new job is very demanding, and when Kate has to go on tour to promote the book, Tom is quickly overwhelmed by the challenges of taking care of his children.
There are the predictable "aww" moments (death of a pet, reminder that the kids might fight with each other, but they really love each other) and the predictable "ewww" moments (one child barfs and another slips and falls on it). The script is slack and lazy, incapable of a satisfying resolution for even the most reliable family-movie plot devices like a mean bully or snobby, over-protective neighbors.
Parents should know that the movie includes some schoolyard-style naughty words and PG-style sexual references that get close to a PG-13. When asked about his 12 children, Tom smirks about his wife: "I couldn't keep her off me." He explains that he had a vasectomy but did not wait for it to become effective, resulting in the second set of twins. And part of the plot concerns the oldest child (an adult) moving in with her boyfriend (which does not bother her parents) and whether they should be allowed to sleep together when they visit the family (which does). Some audience members may be offended by the portrayal of the family as vaguely Catholic, with references to Jesus and a rosary but no evidence of religious observance. There is comic peril with some minor injuries. The product placement (Crate & Barrel) is particularly (and annoyingly) intrusive.
