Cheaper By the Dozen 2003
for language and some thematic elements.
Reviewed by: Misty Wagner
CONTRIBUTOR
| Moral Rating: | Better than Average |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
|
| Primary Audience: | Kids Family |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Length: | 1 hr. 55 min. |
| Year of Release: | 2003 |
| USA Release: |
| Featuring | Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Hilary Duff, Piper Perabo, Tom Welling |
| Director |
Shawn Levy |
| Producer | Robert Simonds, Ben Myron, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan |
| Distributor |
 20th Century Studios, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Studios, a division of The Walt Disney Company |
Sequel: “Cheaper by the Dozen 2” (2005)
I went to this movie a skeptic and came out deeply touched! Some of us go to a movie simply for its entertainment value, while others go seeking something a bit deeper and maybe touching… well, this movie is IT on all accounts!
The story is about Tom (Steve Martin), and Kate Baker (Bonnie Hunt) who fall in love in college, and while pursuing their dreams of career, decide that their shared dream of a large family wins out in the end. They build a home in a more rural town in Illinois and build their lives and family. Fast forward to 12 children and 20 some odd years later, their relationship is great, romance is alive, lives are chaotic but they know they are blessed. A job offer to coach in Chicago causes Tom to “reach for his dream,” and with his supportive wife and skeptical kids in tow, they relocate to a new home, higher “status” and of course, everything changes. It’s not long before doors open for Kate’s dream of being a published author, and with this the problems really start to arise.
In one of the first scenes, Tom comes in from a jog and sits down on his “lumpy mattress” (lumpy because there are about 6 little ones and a dog under the covers hiding) and Kate tells him the “trick” to getting the lumps out of an old mattress. The kids come out giggling and “wrestling” with dad as he attempts to “de-lump” the old mattress. Just then the music montage from the opening fades back in and you see this family loving each other and playing as you hear Natalie Merchant singing “these are the days to remember.” I was deeply touched by this entire scene, and this movie just continued to surprise and touch both my husband and I until the end (which has hilarious outtakes to accompany the credits). Granted, we only have one four year old and not 12 kids, but there were scenes and moments in there that any parent (regardless of the number of children you have) can relate to.
The soundtrack is fabulous and fits the film well, serving up “classic” songs for all generations. The acting is great; the kids were funny, adorable and brilliant. Hillary Duff and Tom Welling both did well, and even Ashton Kutcher added a small, but great performance that will leave you aching from laughter. This movie (or at least a good family movie that did not try to “cross the line”) has been a long time in coming, and I think that this Christmas was the perfect time for “Cheaper by the Dozen.”
Negative elements—Near the beginning of the film there was a small conversation among the kids where Hillary Duff’s character (Loraine) talked about how Christmas is a sad holiday because it’s when Jesus died, which leads other kids to “correct” her. To us, it was not an offensive situation, but I know that some people may find the “lightheartedness” of it offensive. “God” is used subtly once, in a derogatory way. There are a few lighthearted comments concerning the Bakers getting pregnant once due to being drunk. One sentence in another scene used the word crotch (lighthearted and not outlandishly inappropriate at all). The children have several scenes where they do “crazy kid stuff” to an extreme; it’s a little violent, so if that is something you hesitate wanting your children to see, it is there. My four year old loved it, and laughed out loud often.
The times when the children were disrespectful to the parents were rare. The one major time that Charlie (Tom Welling) was hatefully disrespectful to his father, he did come back humbly and apologize.
The oldest daughter, Nora (Piper Parabo) lives with boyfriend (Kutcher). It is indicated and lightly discussed a few times, and though not a lot of emphasis is put on the morality issues of this, it is stated that her parents disapprove several times, not just of him but of their sleeping together.
Conclusion—In the end, I feel that this movie is great for parents and children alike. As parents, it helps us see that having kids does not take away from or inhibit us from our dreams, but enhances the way things will be. That it does require sacrifice, hard work and selflessness to bring a family together and keep it that way, but it’s worth it. Our kids are worth it! As a Christian walking, I felt I was not only entertained, but I felt encouraged in the choices I make as a parent. God’s grace is big enough for all of us and I love having the assurance of that! I encourage this as a holiday film, as a family movie for all ages.
[Good/5]
[Good/4]
[Good/4]
[Good/4]
The situation with the one oldest daughter living with her boyfriend… unfortunately that is reality now, and parents are forced to deal with it. But I think it was handled well. The parents did not allow them to sleep in the same room under their roof, and they were talking to their daughter about it, it wasn’t a big secret. The daughter’s choice in the end, I think, proves where her loyalties are and proves the way she was raised.
Overall… a great movie! Lots of laughs, and nothing that any of us found offensive or bothering in any way. I would recommend it. I plan on buying it when it comes out, no doubt about it!
[Better than Average/4]
I would look down the line of my family and could fit them into certain scenes or roles. We all thoroughly enjoyed the movie. My husband and I are youth pastors and wacky is part of our like between our own and all those we’ve taken in!
[Good/5]
[Better than Average/4]
I also observed that the parent’s authority was sometimes presented in a questionable manner. These are all issues we sometimes struggle with in our family on a smaller scale. But the sexual references concerned me the most. Everything from visual references to a vasectomy, drunken intercourse, and pre-martial sex. Again—the content was watered-down by today’s standard but these are topics and images that my pre-teen girls don’t need exposure to.
This is unfortunate since the most entertaining aspects of this movie could have been preserved without the items described above. I’ve given the movie a “neutral” rating since this is a good (not great) movie for adults and MAYBE mid to late teenage kids. But I won’t be taking my children to see it.
[Better than Average/4]
But my 7 year old twins won’t see this movie because of the oldest daughter living with her boyfriend and not helping out at home when her family needs her because the parents won’t let her share a room with the boyfriend at the house. If I had read a comment like mine here before seeing this movie, I would have thought “What a stick in the mud reviewer! It’s just a funny movie, get over it.” But I’m a parent who is striving to raise my kids on biblical principles, the first of which is “children obey your parents.”
And I am currently seeing the seeds of rebellion in my kids, and it’s not pretty or funny. I wanted this movie to end with the kids all pitching in and helping the parents. It ended with the parents realizing the kids are more important than their jobs and that’s true, but kids aren’t the only people in the family. I really wanted to like this movie and leave feeling good, but I didn’t.
[Better than Average/4]
The one little girl, the head prankster often wearing a frog ski cap, entirely disobeyed her father’s order *not* to go to a neighbour’s birthday party. The rest followed suit without any protest. One fight with the child called “Fed-Ex” also could have been averted if the father had nipped it in the bud. But no, he let it go on… The father asks her daughter, the one played by Hilary Duff, to help him in parenting. Her response is some stupid speech in which she blames him for all of their problems, prompting the father to leave the room agreeing with her. That is ridiculous. She did not even offer to help him at all, and she just complained and blamed him. The eldest son was gone most of the time and not being helpful, and also was completely unable to handle his own problems at school.
Next, none of the characters were believable… Whenever one or two fought, they all tackled each other and went crazy. No one is that uncivil without completely bad parenting behind it all. Even the most “mature” ones fought. …My last example (though not the final thing wrong with the film) is of the morals they tried to present… The family returns home because everyone is miserable and the parents want to prioritize their children more than their careers. Right, money is not love. …Unfortunately, as good as that moral is, they failed miserably. …Their kids are off-the-wall disobedient wrecks. …Anyway, all the movie really tells us is that the parents acquiesced to their children’s demands to make them happy and obedient. Behaviour continues as long as it works, so I think those two are going to be under twelve assorted size thumbs for the rest of their lives.
[Better than Average/1]
[Better than Average/3]
Therefore, the children do nothing to be supportive or to adjust to the move, but act as “brats” and do what they can to sabotage matters. When everything is in shambles, the father accepts the blame and they all move back to their former house and schools where they are happy once more.
Now, I certainly agree with love before money, parents spending time with their children, putting family well-being above career, etc. However, this movie sells the popular cultural concept of the entitlement of children to whatever they want. Implicit messages include: children rule; their lives are ruined if life is not easy for them; fathers should give up everything to please their families; and mothers can organize things, but fathers cannot.
I did not like those messages and do not find them conducive of Christian values.
[Very Offensive/4]
The other scene that got to me was the one towards the end of the film when the family (mom and all 12 kids) hold up a sign “We Love The Coach” to show the dad that they love and support him, no matter what happens. After seeing this film, I think that I would like to have 6 children (I’m not sure about 12)!
One last great thing that I appreciated was the fact that this film shows the need that children have for both their parents. The parents love each other and the kids love that their parents love each other.
[Better than Average/4]
[Good/5]
[Better than Average/4]
[Better than Average/5]
[Better than Average/4]
[Better than Average/4]
Better than Average / 5
Comparing this to normal Hollywood fare, this one really stands out as positive. Of course, there is no reference to the development of character through a relationship with God or Jesus rather it is assumed good behavior is good for everyone involved. For example, the oldest sister makes a serious decision that is based on her allegiance to the family rather than a realization that there is a foundational moral issue at hand.
Unfortunately, during the credits, which is backdropped by outtakes, the character who plays the oldest son takes the mother (Bonnie Hunt) in a sweeping kiss which was just totally inappropriate and made kids in the audience uncomfortable. You may want to wisk the kids out before the credits start at the end.
My Ratings: [Better than Average/4]