Cheaper by the Dozen (2022) – Film Review
Published March 18, 2022
Movie Details
The raucous exploits of a blended family of twelve, the Bakers, as they navigate a hectic home life while simultaneously managing their family business.
A remake of the 2003 film of the same name starring comedy legend Steve Martin, Gail Lerner‘s Cheaper by the Dozen aims to put a modern touch on the classic story while also keeping the heart and soul of that film intact, and for the most part, it succeeds. Although there are times when the humor here is way too frustrating and seems like it’s trying to be “hip and cool,” screenwriters Kenya Barris and Jennifer Rice-Genzuk Henry do a great job at adapting the story and making it feel fresh and funny.
One thing that was genuinely surprising about this movie was the number of jokes that were aimed more towards adults than kids. As we all know, this film is marketed towards a young demographic. A lot of families are inevitably going to be watching this film and I think that it certainly will be fun for the whole family. There are some jokes in the movie that a lot of kids are going to be confused by, meanwhile mom and dad will be on the couch looking at each other with smiles on their faces.
I miss when movies used to be able to have jokes like that in there for grown-ups to enjoy, so it was kind of nice to see this movie include that. A large portion of this movie’s charm comes from Zach Braff, who delivers one of the most energetic and likable performances of the year so far as Paul Baker, a parent who just wants to do what’s right for his kids which proves to be a challenging exercise because there’s ten of them.
How can two parents raise ten kids? These kids are all, obviously, different people as well, meaning they all have their distinct personalities. The chemistry that Braff has with co-star Gabrielle Union is absolutely fantastic and the two make a totally believable couple. If they don’t make you smile when watching the movie, I’d be shocked.
Like I said earlier, this movie doesn’t really do anything game-changing whatsoever. Nobody is going to be watching Cheaper by the Dozen thinking it will win any Academy Awards, because it won’t. But, you know what? That’s totally okay. It doesn’t need to. The only thing this movie needed to do was be entertaining, and it succeeds greatly in that regard. If you’re looking for a fun and wholesome movie to watch this weekend, you can’t go wrong with this one.
