Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

PART 6

Countryside home

The movie begins with scenes showing Tom Baker (Steve Martin) jogging across the town of Midland where the family resides. Upon his return he finds his wife Kate (Bonnie Hunt) on the personal computer who is correcting mistakes to her novel in which she will later send away to be published. Tom returns to find his children preparing for school and running around the house. A later scene shows the Bakers preparing breakfast. Mark (Forrest Landis) enters the room looking for his lost pet frog called Beans. As the family sits down to eat breakfast, Mark spots Beans on the light above the breakfast table and uses a fishing net in an attempt to get him down; Beans then jumps and destroys the family's breakfast food. When Beans is finally caught after the kitchen being almost destroyed, Mark accidentally smashes his mother's china ornaments. At a later scene, Tom returns home after being offered a new job and promotion in the urban area of Illinois with education advantages and a new vehicle; however, although Kate approves, his children overhear and object to his proposed actions in a family conference in the living room. Even though the children vote about what they would rather do, Tom decides to accept the job and move to the city, many miles away from their current countryside home. After arriving in their new house, an argument ensues between the Baker children about which room each child will have. Mark is left only with the option of the small attic room which turns out to be the best room.

[edit] Urban home

They are greeted by the neighbours who take a negative atittude to the Bakers because of the number of their children and the fact that they "run wild". After settling into their new home, Tom is asked to speak live for FOX Sports and rushes out to present his speech live to America. The children plan to humiliate their older sister Nora's new boyfriend Hank due to his dislike and nasty treatment of children; they plan to make him fall into the water and in the process make it look accidental as he walks through the garden, then after drying his trousers, they soak them in meat and wait until he wears them for dinner, then let their pet dog run after him. Meanwhile, Kate is offered a book tour in order to be able to publish her book. Tom agrees that she should go for the short period of time required and he can handle the children. The children begin to misbehave and Tom begins to find it hard to handle the situation; however, it is made worse when Kate telephones him asking if he could manage for another two weeks as the book tour has been extended, he agrees, knowing he will not be able to control the time she is away. At their new school, the children get into a physical fight between fellow students after they took off Mark's glasses and threw them on the ground. The younger children too misbehave and Tom has to seek help from his eldest daughther Nora. Nora helps around the house but Tom decides he should seek help from a child care; as a result of his large number of offspring, no service will accept his request. Tom's superior, Shake McGuire, tells him that he cannot bring his children his work anymore as he had been doing to keep them out of trouble as it was causing chaos around the football area. Tom decides to then bring footballers to train in his yard. McGuire then tells Tom not to do that. At a later scene, Kate is called at a local radio station in New York where this stage of her book tour was being held, the children then hang up after they drop the phone, while trying to tell her to come home. Kate then ends the book tour and returns home, angry at Tom for not telling her that he could not handle it. A news shoot is held in the Baker home, despite the chaotic day they have had, just before the shoot starts, Mark enters the room and informs everyone that his frog Beans has died; Sarah Baker then tells him no one cares and calls him FedEx and a large argument and fight ensues, which eventually calms down; however, Kate discovers a note on Mark's bed saying Big families stink, with Mark missing. The family begins searching after calling the police, Tom realizes that Mark's favorite place was the Midland house and frantically makes his way to the railway station and finds Mark, on a train heading towards Midland. They then get off the train the next day after travelling to Midland and greet the family at the Midland railway station and apologize to each other. Tom quits his football career to find a job which would provide more time for him to spend time with his family. While they return to the city and begin to adjust to their new life, Kate's book is published and stays at the number one at the bestseller's list on the book chart for 12 months.