 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||
| Cheaper
by the Dozen
Directed By: Shawn
Levy Plot
Summary - Review 1 - Review
2 - CURRENT REVIEWS
|
|
| The Baker family of 12 move from small-town Illinois to the big city after Tom Baker (Martin) gets his dream job to coach is alma mater football team. Meanwhile, his wife (Hunt) also gets her dream of getting her book published. While she's away promoting the book, Tom has a hard time keeping the house in order while at the same time coaching his football team as the once happy family starts falling apart. [TRAILER] There are hints of something genuine behind the madness that consumes “Cheaper By The Dozen.” Somewhere in there, beside the idiotic scenes meant to be considered comedy and the I-need-to-cover-my-eyes-this-is-so-over-the-top “sweet” motifs, is a story about the very real struggles of parenting. And not the struggles that the film’s ads would lead you to believe. The word “dozen” refers to a gaggle of twelve kids, and their two parents, Thomas (Steve Martin) and Kate Baker (Bonnie Hunt), who never imagined they would be ringmasters of such a hectic circus. Kate is a writer, attempting to pen a book between diapers, meals and carpooling. Thomas is a division three football coach who often brings some of his kids to practice. They have a surreal life of happiness and comfort, living in the boondocks, content with their not-so-quiet nights at home. The unabashed perfection of their lives is annoying, but it only lasts for a few brief scenes before the story gets its jolt: Thomas has been offered the job of his dreams – head coach of a division one team in distant Chicago. It is here where writer Craig Titley (“Scooby-Doo”) attempts to infuse some serious moments of family tension. There are several, heated family discussions and bedroom debates between Thomas and Kate. Almost all the children are angry about being uprooted. Charlie (Tom Welling), who was a football star back home, quickly becomes a nobody in Chicago and soon loses interest in school altogether. But as these more interesting conflicts zip past us, we realize director Shawn Levy (“Just Married”) is intent on keeping his focus solely on the mayhem of twelve crazy people running amok. In essence, he seems to be saying that yes, there is drama at hand, but what’s more interesting is how much more difficult it is now for Thomas and Kate to manage this zany circus! We get it, twelve’s a lot. Things only get worse when Kate finishes a book about raising twelve kids and leaves home on a brief book tour, ironically leaving behind the children who brought about her fame. “Cheaper By The Dozen” has clearly been bought and sold as a family comedy, and for that reason the true pathos of the story continue to get buried beneath unbelievable comedy. Take, for example, a moment when Kate is on the road, Thomas is threatened with termination and Charlie runs away from home after a fight with his father. This moment could have been a dramatic turning point, a bend in the road where the real emotions of a torn father could emerge, even humorously. But his answer to the problem proves that this movie has no intention of portraying anything resembling reality. He finds a quick fix for his work problem, effectively ignores his family problem, and the movie keeps chugging along with the same sunny, ambivalent disposition. Now most people will say that a comedy need not base itself in reality. I completely agree. When that rule changes is when a movie asks us to look at a family and feel affection; when it asks us to care about characters as they embrace, laugh or cry. Once you cross the boundary of real emotions, you better back up that leap with realistic and believable personalities. As harsh as I have been, I return to my thoughts of the first paragraph. There still is something subtly sweet to this film. There’s something refreshing about the always-blunt Hunt and her committed mother. There’s something endearing about the aged wisdom that has crept into Martin’s shtick. And for every person out there whose parents made extraordinary sacrifices –who one day realized they were wearing better shoes than their dad - there’s something about the film’s family-is-everything theme that hits the heart with force. Misguided as it may be, I am still fond of the movie’s sentiments. Check out Reviews, Commentary, and More at Zertinet.com |
LINKS
TO REVIEWS |
| Movies
@ Zertinet | Oscars @ Zertinet
| Main Site Best Viewed
at 800 X 600 or greater |
|
