"Lighthearted fun, providing little character bits for all of the family members." Roger Ebert CHICAGO SUN-TIMES "Although it doesn't break new ground or add insight into family relationships, it might provoke a smile (or two) of recognition and familiarity." Michael Elliott MOVIE PARABLES "The warmth, messiness and gentle humor Cheaper offers is nothing to sneeze at." Chris Hewitt ST PAUL PIONEER PRESS "Good performances keep the movie from collapsing under the weight of its cliches." Mary-Liz Shaw MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL "Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt turn in serviceable performances as the parents, while the supporting cast of children gel well together. "Cheaper by the Dozen" lays on the gags thick and fast, churning them out with all the accuracy, finesse and undisguised intent of an elephant rifle." Martin Kovacs OUR BRISBANE

"Martin and Hunt give the production a mellow warmth. And Levy has cast an appealingly diverse bunch of kids to play the young Bakers." Ann Hornaday WASHINGTON POST "Not a brilliant comedy, but sturdy and reliable, with plenty of laughs." Mike McGranaghan AISLE SEAT "A fun family film that'll have your brood laughing no matter what their ages." Steve Rhodes STEVE RHODES' INTERNET REVIEWS "It's rare to see a film that is not just squeaky-clean in content, but in its very philosophy. The fact that it's also a funny, warm, entertaining film is almost just icing." Eric D Snider ERICDSNIDER.COM "What a lovely surprise: beyond the gloss of this formulaic Hollywood comedy about the importance of family, lies a heart-felt and hilarious treasure chest filled with home truths. The magic of a good comedy is in the recognition of emotions that ring true." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE

At A Glance Actress Bonnie Hunt knows all about growing up in a big family after all her father and mother raised seven children. In "Cheaper By The Dozen" Hunt's character Kate has 12 little darlings to contend with. So how did she see her role as Kate? "I made a point to play Kate as an Intelligent woman," she says. "It was very important to me that she not be 'The Mom', because like so many other mothers, Kate is complex and three dimensional." Well director Shawn Levy says he seized on the opportunity to make a film with sentiment rooted in traditional family values. With a big family you'd have to spread a whole lot of love at times, right? "She is very much in love with her husband," Hunt explained, "and she's convinced they can take on the whole world. But Kate has a lot going on in her heart and mind that her husband and children may not be aware of." And was there a lot of fun playing Kate in "Cheaper By The Dozen"? "It's been a joy to play Kate," Hunt said, "and to delve into what makes her tick: love, patience and a huge sense of humour."
So how did you find working with all those kids? "I loved working with these kids," she said. "When I saw my job through the perspective of these kids, their joy in acting and their curiosity, it reminded me of how lucky I am to be doing this for a living. I get to play pretend and put on a show." So did the same apply to her onscreen husband played by Steve Martin? "These kids were so natural," he says, " and nobody seemed to be acting. They really were a lot of fun."
One of those kids is teen star Hillary Duff. "The movie really does show the struggles a family of fourteen goes through, the good and the bad times," she notes. And her role as Lorraine, who seems proccupied with appearances than what is going on around her, even at the point of utter chaos? "My character Lorraine is really into fashion, clothes, hair and makeup and likes to spend a lot of time in front of the mirror. But in a way she brings balance to the family," Hillary said. "Things get crazy and hectic, and Lorraine, as one of the older kids, helps keep it together." And how was it, working on the set with all those kids? "At first I really didn't know how it was going to work with so many of us on set,"Duff says. "Sometimes scenes took a little bit longer to shoot, because there were twelve of us and we all had to be focused and work together, but their was never a boring moment." In the film you're character Lorraine is a bit of a stickler for appearance and your own presentation is always first class, so how did you take that segment with the scrambled eggs? "I got splattered with eggs the most, she said. "It was horrible because I can't stand eggs."
So how did the director find working with the "family'? Director Shawn Levy agrees. "If you're trying to make a movie about the craziness of a big family, you can't have a set without some level of chaos," he says. "There's a madness and level of anarchy that happens between kids who are having fun without the fear of failure, and that's a great enviroment," adds Tom Welling. "I like the idea of being part of a large cast, and I love kids." And was their a bonus for the star of televisions "Smallville"? "I knew I could learn a lot from Steve Martin," he said. And in the end was it one big happy family, did everything gel? "As far as the family as a whole, I think compatibility was part of the casting process," Tom says. "This is a family that has a good time being around each other, and I hope that comes through to the audiences." Casting About "Cheaper By The Dozen" was directed by Shawn Levy ["Big Fat Liar" and "Just Married"], the producers include Robert Simonds ["Happy Gilmore", Just Married", "See Spot Run" and "The Wedding Singer"], and Ben Myron ["Signal 7", "Checking Out", "One False Move", "Telling Lies In America", "Mr Magoo" and "Waking Up In Reno"], the film was co-produced by Ira Shuman ["Just Married", "The Waterboy", "The Wedding Singer" and "See Spot Run"], the screenplay was written by Sam Harper ["Rookie Of The Year" and "Just Married"] and Joel Cohen & Alec Sokolow ["Toy Story", "Money Talks", "Goodbye Lover" and "Garfield"].
"Cheaper By The Dozen" stars Steve Martin ["Father Of The Bride", "Bowfinger", "The Three Amigos", "Leap Of Faith" and "Sgt Bilko"], Bonnie Hunt ["Jerry Maguire", "Jumanji", "The Green Mile" and "Random Hearts"], Piper Perabo ["Coyote Ugly", "White Boys", "Piece Of My Heart" and "Lost and Delirious"], Liliana Mumy ["Santa Clause 2"], Kevin G Schimdt [Minority Report and TV's "Judging Amy" and "King of Queens"] and Hillary Duff ["The Lizzie McGuire Movie" and "Agent Cody Banks"]. Trivia By The Dozen Actor Tom Welling who plays Charlie can be seen as Clark Kent in the television series "Smallville".
Morgan York began her acting career at the age of eight in a commercial for ear thermometers.
Liliana Mumy hopes to one day own six dogs.
Twins Shane & Brent Kinsman made their debut in a commercial for Tylenol. That lead to a role in "Cheaper By The Dozen".
Jacob Smith made his debut in a commercial at age four. He impressed the producers with an impersonation of Jim Carrey.
Forrest Landis has appeared in commercials for Kraft Cheese and McDonalds.
Alyson Stoner is skilled in ballet, tap, jazz and hipihop.
Piper Perabo made her film debut in Danny Hoch's "White Boys".
Hillary Duff made her solo debut with the album "Metamorphosis" which went #1 in its second week.
Bonnie Hunt worked as a nurses aid in high school and later as a nurse at Northwestern University Hospital.
Steve Martin was born in Waco, Texas. His comedy albums "Let's Get Small" and "A Wild and Crazy Guy" won Grammy Awards.
Director Shany Levy won the Golden Plaque Award at the Chicago Film Festival with his first effort, a short film, "Broken Record". The Story This is the story of the Baker family. Not your average american family by any means. You see Tom and Kate Baker just love kids. Boy do they love kids. Their kids. All twelve of them. But while there are a few complications from time to time, life is basically terrific for the Baker Family. Until Tom gets asked to coach the team at his old college in Chicago. The kids aren't happy but it's dads big moment and something he's dreamed of all his coaching career. Things aren't going to bad but then mum has her draft for a book accepted by a publishing house in New York. For the first time Kate will leave her kids behind. But that's what dads are for. Right? Wrong. Dad may be a great football coach but can he handle eleven ticked off kids? He's about to find out. The hard way! The Verdict "If you loved those old Ma & Pa Kettle films which featured family drama, comedy and satisfying entertainment then "Cheaper By The Dozen" will hit the spot. Don't fall for the trap of expecting this film to be an outrageously funny Steve Martin filck. Do so and you'll be very disappointed. It is fun, it is entertaining and the kids are great. Worth a look at." The Cast

Steve Martin Bonnie Hunt Piper Perabo Tom Welling Hilary Duff Kevin G Schmidt Alyson Stoner Jacob Smith Liliana Mumy Morgan York Forrest Landis Blake Woodruff Brent Kinsman Shane Kinsman Paula Marshall Steven Anthony Lawrence Alan Ruck Richard Jenkins Holmes Osborne Vanessa Bell Calloway Rex Linn

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Tom Baker Kate Baker Nora Baker Charlie Baker Lorraine Baker Henry Baker Sarah Baker Jake Baker Jessica Baker Kim Baker Mark Baker Mike Baker Nigel Baker Kyle Baker Tina Shenk Dylan Shenk Bill Shenk Shake Nick Gerhard Diana Philips Coach Bricker

The Crew Directed by Shawn Levy Screenplay by Sam Harper/Joel Cohen & Alec Sokolow Produced by Robert Simonds/Michael Barnathan & Ben Myron Co-produced by Ira Shuman Original Music by Christophe Beck Cinematography by Jonathan Brown Film Editing by George Folsey Jr Casting by Nancy Klopper Production Design by Nina Ruscio Art Direction by Scott Meehan Set Decoration by K C Fox Costume Design by Sanja Milkovic Hays Production Manager Dustin Bernard Production Supervisor Demetra Diamantopoulos Run Time 99 minutes Rated G [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - Twentieth Century Fox - All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2004 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved