REVIEW: The Bakers Return in Disney+’s Cheaper By the Dozen
In 1948, Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey released their semi-autobiographical novel “Cheaper by the Dozen”. The novel contained several mini stories all focused on the Gilbreth’s parents, Frank and Lillian, and their family of twelve children. In 1950, 20th Century Fox turned the novel into a movie starring Clifton Webb as Frank and Myrna Loy as Lillian. The movie was received well by audiences and became a staple in many family homes over the years. In 2003, 20th Century Fox took another stab at the movie. This time they enlisted Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt to play the parents of this oversized family, Tom (Martin) and Kate (Baker). Unlike the first movie based on the novel, this version relied heavily on the comedic side of the family and offered a different, happier ending then its 1950 counterpart. The movie was a huge hit among audiences and prompted 20th Century Fox to release a sequel, Cheaper By the Dozen 2, in 2005. Now, 20th Century Studios and Disney+ are releasing a third, more modern version of the story, with the hopes of striking gold again. But, it might not be third times a charm with this one.
This new version finds Paul (Zach Braff), Zoe Baker (Gabrielle Union), and their ten children living in sunny Los Angeles managing their all-day breakfast restaurant. Each child has dreams of making it big in some way while their parents are attempting to keep their restaurant flourishing and their exes, Kate (Erika Christensen) and Dom (Timon Kyle Durrett), from becoming too involved in their lives. When the restaurant starts to take off, Paul finds himself spending more time on his career and less on his family. Struggling to find a place in their new home, new school, and new lives, the Baker family finds their new lives may not be all they hoped they would be.
Like the past two Cheaper By the Dozen movies, this one is all about the strength of family. The lengths the Baker family will go to protect and support their own. Leaning more towards the comedic side, like its 2003 counterpart, the movie has its moments of laughs, but ultimately looses itself in too many story lines. The movie introduces a number of tough issues families are facing now a days, but instead of really leaning in on these issues, Director Gail Lerner and co-writers Jenifer Rice-Genzuk Henry and Kenya Barris merely brush over them.
Braff and Union bring the charm, and the comedy as Zoe and Paul Baker. Both Braff and Union bring their own version of the characters to the table, which is refreshing. At no point are they two trying to recreate the performances audiences have seen before in previous Cheaper By the Dozen movies. These two manage to make their characters all their own. But are they as good as Webb and Loy or Martin and Hunt? Maybe, I will let you make that final decision.
Journee Brown (Deja), Kylie Rogers (Ella), Andre Robinson (DJ), Caylee Blosenski (Harley), Aryan Simhadri (Haresh), Leo Abelo Perry (Luca), Mykal-Michelle Harris (Luna), Christian Cote (Bailey), Sebastian Cote (Bronx) and Luke Prael (Seth) round out the Baker children, but only a handful really get any screen time. The movie focuses heavily on the older kids and the younger kids but forgets about the middle kids. Rogers’ Ella and Blosenski’s Harley play such minor characters that you forget they are even in the movie until the last ten minutes.
This new version of Cheaper By the Dozen is in no ways an outstanding movie, but it is a good, family friendly movie. Parents and their kids will have no problems sitting down and watching the chaos that is the Baker family unfold on screen. Though, I will say, if you have not watched the older versions give those a try. You might end up liking those versions as well.
Grade: B-