Steve Martin is Tom Baker, the ever-faithful doting football coach of a father, with a comical twist, a role that suits him very well. Bonnie Hunt is his contented housewife Kate, trying hard to write a novel about life in her unique family.

Daily life at the Baker’s is already uprooted with 12 children but more so when Tom is offered a dream job of coaching a large university squad and decides, together with Kate, to move the family, much to the displeasure of all their children. Still, it’s a little idealistic to expect a majority vote in a household of 14. Meanwhile Kate’s agent presses her to leave her role as dutiful mother and promote her book for several weeks around the country.

All hell breaks loose. Tom has to spend more time devoted to his demanding job and covers all that is going wrong when Kate calls to check up on them. Meanwhile, each child suffers academically and emotionally, as they come to grips with a difficult time in their lives. The eldest daughter, Nora (Piper Perabo) has broken away from the nest but finds it impossible to loosen all her ties, especially when her mother is away and her siblings are suffering - though they do not seem to be in any distress when they soak her boyfriend’s underwear in meat and let the dog chew his manhood all through dinner.

The eldest son, Charlie (Tom Welling) finds it hardest to adapt, away from his friends and girlfriend while being picked on by local schoolchildren for being from the ‘country’. Hilary Duff, plays Lorraine, is the hip sassy teenager all American girls aim to be, though her scenes leave a lot to be desired for, as her acting skills have not, shall we say, been pushed to their utmost limits.

Director Shawn Levy has certainly brought a little laughter with the all-successful, all-American cheesy tale but the characters are lacklustre and the children especially fail to each develop an individuality. There are so many of them it is often confusing. If it weren’t for Martin and Hunt, the film really would not have much to its name. The other actors are not yet established box-office material.  In fact, Martin and Hunt have let their side down by deciding to do a film, which in theory may have seemed really sweet and different, but returns to the same dull expressionless mush which seeps out out America too often.
(2/5)

Release date: 31 May 2004

Cheaper By The Dozen