Written by Chris Snellgrove | Published
What if Marvel’s hottest director had cut his teeth on one of the most underrated comedies in Hollywood history? And this is true, O true believer: before it is directed Deadpool WolverineBring us Shawn Levy Cheaper by dozens (2003), a family comedy featuring a large cast of talented actors. If you’re ready for some serious laughs, all you have to do is stream this great song on Hulu.
hypothesis Cheaper by dozens is that a country football coach moves his family to his hometown so he can start a new coaching gig at his alma mater. His children (all twelve of them) don’t like their new home, and things get worse when his wife begins a national tour to promote her new book. This leaves him balancing his new job with being the single parent of some very rowdy children, leading to comedic antics that highlight the film’s charismatic cast.
A not-so-dirty dozen
The cast is probably the best part of it Cheaper by dozensincluding Tom Welling (known as Smallville TV series) as the eldest son, a rising soccer star. Another star is Hilary Duff (famous for… Cinderella story) as a precocious teenage daughter who has a lot of her own drama to deal with. The film also stars Ashton Kutcher (known as That ’70s Show) and a slew of great actors, including Dax Shepard, Wayne Knight, Jared Padalecki, and many more.
For all the talent of the younger actors, the real star Cheaper by dozens It’s Hollywood legend Steve Martin as the proud patriarch forced to play Mr. Mom to his double-digit brood of children. Martin gets a lot of laughs by playing a straight man (just like he did in Planes, trains and cars) for the more ridiculous characters to bounce off of. Fortunately, he always finds heart in the film’s humor, and serves as a grounding presence when this film threatens to go off the rails.
Critics hate it, audiences love it
Cheaper by dozens It didn’t exactly wow critics (more on that in a minute), but that didn’t stop it from amassing a strong theatrical audience. Against a budget of $40 million, this little comedy could earn $190.5 million. After this box office success, the studio produced a sequel (Cheaper by the dozen 2) which brings back the original cast but not the original director, although Shawn Levy does have an enjoyable role.
when Cheaper by dozens It came out, and the critics were unimpressed, to say the least. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a bleak 25 percent rating, with critics noting how this crowded cast of big names helps create a suitably chaotic story. However, they felt that the chaos didn’t really translate to laughs and that the script could have used more jokes to earn its comedic credibility.
To the big question: Why Bassem? The three friends Should I advise you to watch a Steve Martin movie that critics dragged to dirt? Firstly, Cheaper by dozens It still managed to impress some famous critics, including Roger Ebert, who gave it three out of four stars and called it a “hilarious romp.” This perfectly sums up the vibe of this movie: it’s something you can watch with your family, or even just stream on your own when you need the perfect cure for those pesky holiday blues.
The crew makes the movie
Plus, the cast really makes this movie: I’m someone who grew up devouring every Steve Martin movie I could find (I even loved them). The man with two minds!), and it was fun to see how the younger actors bounced back from Hollywood’s comedic statesman. When I got a little older, I really liked both That ’70s Show and SmallvilleSo it was fun to see Ashton Kutcher and Tom Welling among the crowded cast of this movie. Basically, for movie fans of a certain age, Cheaper by dozens It is the cinematic equivalent of fortnite: A fun sandbox where all your favorite actors can hang out and have some fun.
Finally, while box office will never be the sole indicator of quality, it’s worth noting again that this film was so profitable that its sequel was greenlit almost immediately. Maybe the critics hated it Cheaper by dozensbut it has been a hit with general audiences for more than two decades and has become a holiday staple for many of its fans (myself included). When you need something to watch with the family over Thanksgiving or Christmas (assuming you’re not all caught up in the final season of Stranger Things), this movie is perfect.
Would you agree to that? Cheaper by dozens Is it a great star-studded comedy show full of laughter, or is that a stuffed turkey you’d rather put back in the oven? You won’t know until you stream Shawn Levy’s hit movie yourself on Hulu. After that, you may never look at comedy or Parenting is the same way again!
About the Author
