Search results
Mar 17, 2022 · “Cheaper by the Dozen,” the 1948 novel by the siblings Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, based on their experiences growing up in a household of 12 children, has been...
Mar 17, 2022 · Director Gail Lerner’s Cheaper By The Dozen is aggressively cutesy while trying to address real-world issues such as race and class. Lerner’s version feels busy and laboured, its sitcom ...
Cheaper by the Dozen adds some modern twists to its oft-adapted story, but fresh laughs are few and far between. Read Critics Reviews. TOP CRITIC. A big family is a strong comic premise,...
- (39)
- Gail Lerner
- PG
- Gabrielle Union
Mar 18, 2022 · March 18, 2022. 5 min read. This latest version of “Cheaper by the Dozen” claims in the opening credits to be based on the classic 1948 book by two (equal to one-sixth) of the children of pioneering “motion study” (efficiency) engineers Frank and Lillian Gilbreth.
- Crowded House.
- The best Steve Martin movie is...
- Verdict
By Matt Fowler
Posted: Mar 18, 2022 2:00 pm
Cheaper by the Dozen premieres Friday, March 18 on Disney+.
Disney's latest revival of Cheaper by the Dozen -- a soft franchise that boasts two previous movies (and one sequel) based off a semi-autobiographical book from the '40s -- depicts a large, frantic family and the kooky chaos involved with raising and managing such a bustling brood. Starring Zach Braff and Gabrielle Union, this latest incarnation of the Bakers' overcrowded homestead is a mirthful mixed bag of biting humor and shmaltzy magic fixes.
This new Cheaper by the Dozen plays like a series of chapters strung together. This structure, of break-out bits and mini-arcs, helps balance out the large ensemble, though there's still a handful of Baker kids who don't quite make the cut, spotlight-wise. One daughter, Caylee Blosenski's Harley, gets a fascinating intro but then nothing comes of it. Ah well. Sounds like a real family, right? Some kids get unduly outshined. Still, the pacing of the movie, which bounces through these smaller entanglements while also dealing with the larger story of the entire family relocating to a gated community in Calabasas (the 2003 Steve Martin movie also involved a big move), helps give everything a sweet episodic feel.
Cheaper by the Dozen also makes a few changes to the family formula, for the better, by not only portraying a interracial marriage and biracial children, but also a blended family (some kids biologically belong to Braff's Paul and some to Union's Zoe). Throw in Paul's nephew, who winds up in need of a stable(r) home, and you've got a way more understandable source of mayhem than just "this woman, because reasons, gave birth to 12 children." In fact, for what it's worth, this story hits you with a much more reasonable nine kids scenario, with Paul, Zoe, and cousin Seth (Luke Prael) making up the rest of the "dozen." The messiness and madness are still abound, but the design of it feels nicely updated and more organic.
L.A. Story
Three Amigos
Cheaper by the Dozen
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Other
The updates made to Cheaper by the Dozen work to better explain how such a large family exists, and functions, while the episodic, chapter-book quality of the storytelling serves the big ensemble well. Zach Braff and Gabrielle Union are great pillars here, though the film itself isn't consistent enough with its tone, snapping back and forth between...
May 18, 2024 · Directed by Shawn Levy, Cheaper by the Dozen follows Steve Martin’s Tom and Bonnie Hunt’s Kate as they encounter a whole host of complications while trying to raise their 12 children. It’s a familiar premise that’s employed to somewhat agreeable yet ultimately underwhelming effect by Levy, as the filmmaker, armed with a script by Sam ...
People also ask
Is cheaper by the dozen a good movie?
Is 'cheaper by the dozen' based on a true story?
Who are the actors in Cheaper by the dozen?
Where can I watch Cheaper by the dozen?
Who wrote the book 'Cheaper by the Dozen'?
Does Cheaper by the dozen need more time?
Cheaper by the Dozen: Directed by Gail Lerner. With Gabrielle Union, Zach Braff, Erika Christensen, Timon Kyle Durrett. The raucous exploits of a blended family of 12, the Bakers, as they navigate a hectic home life while simultaneously managing their family business.
