Cheaper by the Dozen is a fresh take on the 2003 hit family comedy and tells the story of the raucous exploits of a blended family of 12, the Bakers, as they navigate a hectic home life while simultaneously managing their family business. As we noted in our review, this is a fun-filled family comedy that has plenty of heart and a strong message at its core which definitely leaves a lasting impact.
The movie is helmed by Gail Lerner, a veteran writer, producer, and director whose credits include projects like Black-ish, Will & Grace, Happy Endings, and Trophy Wife. However, Cheaper by the Dozen marks the filmmaker's big screen directorial debut, and she absolutely knocked it out of the park.
In this exclusive video interview with Lerner, we learn more about her approach to this remake, why it was important to touch on timely themes amidst all the big laughs, and what made Zach Braff and Gabrielle Union the perfect choice to serve as the parents to this family. The director also hilariously recalls why the young cast caused "Pumpkin-ing" to become a common phrase on set.
Check out our interview with Lerner about helming Cheaper by the Dozen in the player below:
This is a well-known franchise and there have been remakes of remakes in the past, but when you’re approaching the film 15 years on from the last one, how much do those factor into your thought process, particularly as being a kid these days has changed so much?
One thing we really took into account was not just how much being a kid has changed, but really how being a family has changed and what families look like now. It’s the idea that it’s not blood that makes a family, but love. Just the notion of parents and step-parents and adopting and taking in family members who are having a hard time. Biological kids too, but it was about looking at this collection of people who seem so different are just as tightly bonded as the Steve Martin/Bonnie Hunt movie that had twelve biological children. The other thing we did feel about the kids is, yes, we show TikTok and we show them on their phones, but we really wanted to keep that fun, loving vibe of family movie night, family games, drag races, going to the pool together, pulling pranks on each other…we just wanted to keep that alive to say, ‘Hey, it’s not all right here on your phone. It’s also right here with your family.’
I loved that, and also loved that as funny as this film is, it tackles some serious subjects like Paul’s place as a father in an interracial family and what that means for Gabrielle’s character as well. Was that already part of the project when you joined or something you wanted to focus on?
That was already part of the film. Kenya Barris and Jenifer Rice-Genzuk Henry, who wrote the film - Kenya created Black-ish [and] I think I was there for six years and Jenny was there for four. So, the idea of doing a family comedy with social commentary was already baked into this film, but it was definitely what attracted me to it. I love the Steve Martin version and think it’s this iconic classic, but I thought, ‘Well, if we’re doing a new one, let’s do something different. Let’s offer something new.’ I love that we had the chance to do that.
Zach and Gabrielle are so terrific together in this film -
Aren’t they?
The chemistry here is just amazing, so I’m curious what it was about each of them that made them perfect to bring this couple to life?
Well, it’s so funny that you ask that. Zach and Gab talk a lot in their press junkets about playing good cop/bad cop. Zach, as someone who doesn’t have kids, he was just like, ‘Look at all these kids! Let’s just play.’ Gab was the one who was saying, ‘Let’s keep everyone focused.’ She was a tonne of fun with the kids too, but she was the more grounded one because when you’re a parent, you just organically remember. If you wind these kids up, she knew it would be really hard when I said ‘Action!’ and to get them to have controlled chaos versus chaotic chaos. It was just fun to see that because Zach got to indulge all his playful dad vibes, and Gab did too, but she’s really the North Star of the family. When he’s losing sight and wants more money and a bigger house and private school, I love that she supports his dream and goes along with it, but she’s also the one who says, ‘It’s not actually working for us.’ She’s not one of those naysaying moms who says no from the beginning or crosses her hands and wags her finger. She really is a great partner and she’s a good enough partner that she also knows when to say, ‘This isn’t right.’
I have give credit to the kids in the film. There are too many to name, but they’re all fantastic, so for you as a filmmaker, what were the biggest challenges of working with so many different ages and experience in acting as well?
I’d say the biggest challenge is simply the fact that to protect kids, depending on your age, you’re allowed to work for a different window of time each day. So, between all our kids, it felt like at every moment, we were losing someone new. We were shooting in an order where we could keep everyone going, but there were so many challenges just temporally to keep in mind. There’s an expression that comes from Cinderella that the minute the clock hits, these kids have to leave, and it’s called “Pumpkin-ing.” People would be saying all day long, ‘He’s pumpkin-ing, she’s pumpkin-ing, they’re pumpkin-ing!’ It was like Halloween. The holiday, not the horror film [Laughs]. Just hearing the word “Pumpkin-ing” thrown around, it was funny, but it was such a reminder that the clock was ticking on these children.
Cheaper by the Dozen premieres on Disney+ on March 18!