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What is it with Hollywood and remaking films lately? At least this time they didn’t pick a classic to ruin, and may actually be improving on the comedy in terms of cast.

At any rate, Cheaper by the Dozen is based on the book of the same name, which is the story of the Gilbreth family. The Gilbreths obviously believed in large families, having brought 12 children into this world; hence the title of their tome. It also seems that patriarch Frank was rather a stick-in-the-mud who eschewed popular culture and railed against the modernity of the womenfolk of his family. He also liked to use the family as guinea pigs for his pioneering work in the field of motion study, no doubt with what the filmmakers hope were hilarious results.

The film boasts a stellar team in Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt as the heads of this large clan. Both Martin and Hunt have shown an affinity for the family comedy, and Martin in particular has had success with remakes of older films. Also starring as one of the children is up-and-comer Hilary Duff, whose extremely popular Disney Show will receive a big screen treatment before this family flick hits theaters later in the year.

A Christmastime release for a family film is something akin to the Holy Grail of release dates, and combined with the cast and a good marketing push, should help Cheaper by the Dozen make a good showing at the box office, provided the film’s quality isn’t abysmal. Which, given this cast, is somewhat unlikely. (Stephanie Star Smith/BOP)

Vital statistics for Cheaper by the Dozen Main Cast Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt Supporting Cast Hilary Duff, Ashton Kutcher, Piper Perabo, Tom Welling Director Shawn Levy Screenwriter Sam Harper, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr., Ernestine Gilbreth Carey (book) , Craig Titley Distributor 20th Century Fox Trailer Click Here for Trailer Official Site http://www.cheaperbythedozenmovie.com/ Rating PG Running Time 115 minutes Screen Count 3,298 Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for Cheaper by the Dozen
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
Bringing Down the House	3/7/03	31.10	31.10	2801	11104.00	11104.0	132.68	132.68	4.27
Brady Bunch Movie, The *	2/17/95	14.83	20.55	1822	8139.00	10852.0	46.55	64.52	3.14
Father of the Bride 2	12/8/95	11.13	15.42	1949	5711.00	7614.7	76.59	106.16	6.88
Family Man	12/22/00	10.56	11.81	2388	4422.00	4758.4	75.76	84.75	5.02
Father of the Bride	12/20/91	7.03	10.06	1561	4504.00	6205.0	89.10	127.61	12.67