Cheaper by the Dozen | | Cast : | Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Hilary Duff | | Director : | Shawn Levy | | Studio : | Fox Home Entertainme | | Format : | Color, Widescreen | | Released Date : | December 25, 2003 | | DVD Released Date : | August 31, 2004 | | Language : | Spanish (Dubbed), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 12, 2005 | | Summary | How low can you go in a movie? | Content
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Anyone who has seen in this movie - immediately knows what's going to happen. This movie will only please "Parent-spitng" children/teens (directly influenced by today's world and television programs) and Tom Wwelling/Smallville - Ashton Kutcher/Punk'd - and Hillary Duff/Lizzie Maguire fans all across the world. I've must've seen this movie more than once with my family and after a while, the movie really looses what little funny moments it had to begin with. The plot is really simplistic; Steve Martin's character, the father of a dozen children gets a rise in and is given the chance to take his dream job as well as get a raise in his paycheck for the good of the family, with the promise of being "a tighter family," thus automatically labeling him with the sticker of the "villain" of the story when this promise isn't fulfilled. The children are enraged and upset with the fact that they will be forced to move away from their home since diapers no matter what their opinion is. Tom Welling's character's is basically the same as Smallville's version of "Clark Kent", only he has a girlfriend this time. Hillary Duff's character really has no excuse to stay in her hometown other than her "all her best friends are here." So when they move from milldleton into a more fancy community full of the richest people in the fanciest houses money can buy, you know from the start the children will not love their not situation or the fact that they're father does not seem to care that they don't.
The mother has a partial role in this family apparently. She is thrown out of the picture until the end of the movie. This is to justify the kids animosity toward their father. I know your just supposed to watch this movie with little expectation, to at least have fun watching every scene unfold, but how far can a movie feeding off "the kids are right, the parents are wrong" syndrome, last? The only funny moments in "Cheaper By the Dozen" are when Kutcher gets bit on the backside by their Dog (his name escapes me) and when Welling's character's locker is stuffed with corn and it comes falling out. However, that's just taking a bit too much from "Poor Clark/alienation" syndrome of Smallville.
Once the children go beyond out of hand, the father finally decides to crack the whip on them and hand on punishments the children seem to have no familiarity with. And when the mother comes home they only get worse afterward. The rest of the movie is pretty predicable. There is basically no reason for Duff, Welling, or Kutcher's presnce to be in the movie other than to draw the slected audience toward watching the movie. The slected would be actor's screen time is so little that the younger children carry the movie all one their own without their help. Steve Martin and Hunt are just the backdrop for the kids. Steven Martin's best role was "Leap of faith." His character was funny and sarcastic. Quite likable despite his con-man status. The father of this movie was not funny, much like the movie itself. So what reasons do I have to dislike "Cheaper by the dozen"? See above and see my "Everwood" review. You'll get what I mean. --- [a 2 out of 5] |
| Rating | | | Date | August 02, 2005 | | Summary | CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN IS A GREAT MOVIE!!!!! | Content
| Cheaper by the dozen was way better than spy kids. U should buy this movie!I liked it very much!Cheaper by the dozen rox!I hope u enjoy it if u watch it!It is very interesting to see adults deal with 12 kids! That is all I can tell u about this movie.
Lily,7
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| Rating | | | Date | July 28, 2005 | | Summary | Why didn't I love thee (with apologies to E. Barrett Browning) | Content
| Why didn't I love thee? Let me count the ways:
Thy plotline stunk like meat soaked underwear
Of canine's delight and Ashton's despair
The parents pursuing their life-long dreams
Unheeding the unruly children's screams
No longer buffered by parents' spoiling
Tempers flared and then soon started boiling
With Mother on Regis, all hell broke loose
Alone with the kids Dad was one cooked goose
Family is all, thou meant to imply
But thy message was weak, unconvincing,
Thy character development awry
Laughs? Yes, but mostly it had me wincing
Neither mirth nor sorrow caused me to cry
Quite coincidentally, Elizabeth Barrett, an English poet of the Romantic Movement, was the oldest of twelve children, and wrote her first epic poem by her twelfth year.
Amanda Richards, July 28, 2005
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| Rating | | | Date | July 27, 2005 | | Summary | The chaos and calamity of a house of twelve | Content
| This is an excellent movie for the young and the old. It's incredibly moving, hilarious in just about all aspects and makes you realise just how important family is above the materialism of life.
The acting from the kids is surprising and sincere. They are believable and really do show the emotion, which would be hard for some kids to concentrate on in a drama role, but they pull it off perfectly. Little Mark Baker is just the most adorable character! He'll steal your heart away.
At first, this movie didn't impress me much. It seemed a little cheesy, too much Hollywood and not enough depth. On second viewing, I realised the great potential this movie really had.
Unlike some films, they really do try to give the viewer something worthwhile to learn from and get something out of the movie. Something that will carry on and be remembered long after you leave the cinema.
Perhaps some parents may get some insight through watching this film and realise the way their kids may be feeling.
If you're looking for lighthearted yet moving comedy with a line up of great actors and boredom-ceasing potential, this is the movie for you. Give it a try :) |
| Rating | | | Date | July 06, 2005 | | Summary | Cheaper By The Dozen | Content
| Another great family movie! We LOVE this movie and watch it very often. If you like this movie as much as we do you should also be sure to check out "The Pacifier" and "Daddy DayCare". |
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