Cheaper By The Dozen (2003)

Cheaper By The Dozen (2003) Full Recap

No, just a pair of knees. 5 years. 23. New clean cover, no peanut butter stains. In a town called Midland, a man named Tom lives with his wife Kate and their 12 kids. Growing up, Tom and Kate always wanted to have a big family due to their childhood experiences. And after they met at Illinois Polytenic University, they just knew they were meant for each other.

After a while, they got married and decided to have eight children. Even though they both wanted big careers, they knew they wouldn't be able to handle it along with their dream of having eight kids. After they had their first three kids, what do you mean? Nora, Charlie, and Lorraine, Tom decided to settle for a division 3 coaching job, while Kate chose to become a writer.

In the years that followed, Tom and Kate had nine more kids. And even though that was more than they had planned, they didn't seem to mind. One day after Tom returns home from his morning run, he meets Kate working on her book, which she's planning to send to a friend named Diana, who works at a publishing company. He also plays with the younger kids before they start preparing to leave for school.

But Norah's not coming. Well, not exactly. As the kids move around the house, Tom goes to his oldest son, Charlie's room to wake him up. He also scolds Charlie for staying out late with his girlfriend, Beth, on the night before a big football game at his school. Tom adds that Charlie won't get a college scholarship if he keeps doing that.

Charlie says he's not sure he even wants to go to college anymore because Beth's mom recently offered him a job at her auto shop. Tom looks surprised by this, but he insists that they'll talk about Charlie's future plans after he gets the full ride. Shortly after, Tom prepares breakfast with the kids, and Kate reminds everyone of their tasks for the day. Kate also tells Tom that their oldest daughter, Nora, won't be around for their planned Christmas card photo shoot.

The other kids don't seem pleased, and they lament that Norah hasn't been coming home regularly since she started dating a weird guy named Hank. Tom says it's not a problem because he'll just photoshop Nora in. As the family sits down to have breakfast, one of the kids, Mark, accidentally drops his frog beans on the table. The man irons his jeans, Mom.

This causes a huge mess as everyone tries to catch the frog and Mark looks disappointed. After Tom captures Beans, he scolds Mark for what he did. Mark looks unhappy and as he's about to take Beans away, he accidentally breaks some glass objects. Kate doesn't look happy about this and one of the other kids, Sarah, insults Mark by calling him FedEx.

Shortly after, the kids get ready for school and Kate notices that Mark looks sad. We tell him they can't sleep together when they visit, so she moves in with him. She asks what's wrong, and he complains that his siblings think he was dropped off at the house by a FedEx guy because he doesn't fit in with the rest of the family. Kate tells Mark not to listen to them because he fits in.

Before she can say anything else, she gets distracted when her youngest kids, Nigel and Kyle, start fighting, and Mark just heads away. Later that day, while Tom is at work, his old friend and football teammate, Sheay, comes over to see him. Tom looks shocked because he hasn't seen Shake in a long time, but he says it's great to see his old friend. As they start talking, Shake mentions that the football coach at their alma mater has been fired and he wants Tom to take the position.

Tom looks amazed because it's his dream job and he says he'll think about it. That day, when he returns home, he takes Kate to the basement so that the kids won't hear what they want to talk about. He then tells her about Shakes's offer, which comes with a bumper contract and several bonuses. He says it will be really great for the family and that he wants Kate to support him.

Kate initially seems reluctant because the kids might not like the idea of moving to a new town, but she eventually agrees to support Tom. I never expected him to sacrifice the way that I did. Interestingly, the kids figure out what their parents are talking about, and they don't look pleased. During the Christmas card photo shoot, the kids raise their concerns about moving and Tom and Kate try to explain that it will be great for the family.

Charlie seems pissed because his whole life is in Midland and the other kids support him. Mark also points out that Bean's mom was buried in Midland and he doesn't want to split them. Tom continues telling the kids to focus on the positives and he also promises that they'll be a happier, stronger family in Evston. The kids still have doubts about this and they reluctantly follow their parents to Evston.

When they arrive at their new house, Tom tells the kids to go inside to pick their rooms. Tom also gives Charlie his old car so he can always go to Midland to see Beth anytime he wants. Charlie realizes that his parents are trying to make him and his siblings very comfortable about the move, and he appreciates this. While the other kids are picking their rooms, Mark gets isolated and eventually decides to stay in the attic.

Game on. Uh, they're playing hockey in the house. Shortly after, a woman named Tina and her family show up at the house to greet the new neighbors. Tom and Kate look pleased to meet their neighbors, and they talk about their kids. Tina looks shocked when she hears that they have 12 kids, but her husband, Bill, just finds it funny.

Tina also seems uncomfortable with Tom and Kate's kids playing inside the house, but her son Dylan soon joins them. Unfortunately, he nearly falls badly while trying to catch a ball, but he manages to hold on to the chandelier. Tina looks scared, but Tom and Kate quickly work together to save him. Tina doesn't seem to like Tom and Kate's family, but Dylan looks happy and invites them to his upcoming birthday party.

Days later, Tom starts spending more time away from home as he prepares for his new coaching job. The kids get increasingly bored at home because there's nothing fun to do. Charlie also heads to his new school to sign up for the football team. When he gets there, the coaches recognize him as Tom's son, and they joke about how Tom only got the football job at Illinois Polytenic University because he's Shakes's friend.

The coaches also try to intimidate Charlie by pressuring him to accept a lesser role on the team. Off to bed. Later that day, Diana calls Kate to give her an update on her book. When Tom returns home from work, Kate informs him that her book is getting published. Tom looks excited, but Kate says she'll have to go to New York for a few days.

Tom says it's not a problem because he believes he can take care of the kids. Kate sounds unsure about it. Tom insists that he wants Kate to go to New York and that he can always call Nora for help. Interestingly, Sarah and her younger siblings don't like the idea of Hank coming with Norah to babysit them.

So, they decide to plan something to force him to leave. Decides to become a career person and like travel the globe. Meanwhile, Norah convinces Hank to come with her to babysit her siblings while her mom is away. Hank doesn't seem interested because he doesn't like Norah's siblings, but she manages to convince him to change his mind.

The next day, Norah and Hank arrive at the house while Tom is playing with the kids. Norah quickly heads inside to talk to her parents, and as Hank is about to follow her, Sarah and the other kids set him up to fall into a dirty pool of water. Hank looks disgusted, but the kids pretend not to know how he fell. We'll have them dry in no time.

While he's drying his clothes, Sarah dips his shorts into a bucket containing meat. Hank isn't aware of this, and as he puts on his shorts, the family's dog starts trying to bite them off. This makes Hank uncomfortable, and as he runs out of the house, the other dogs in the neighborhood try to attack him before he enters his car. Norah realizes that her siblings are responsible for what happened, and she scolds them for not accepting Hank as her boyfriend.

After she leaves with Hank, Tom also scolds the kids and figures out that Sarah was the mastermind. Since Norah won't be around to babysit her younger siblings anymore, Kate seems reluctant to leave the kids alone with Tom, but he convinces her to change her mind. After Kate leaves for New York, Tom tries to get the kids excited by telling some jokes, but they don't seem impressed. The next day, he drops them off at school for their first day, and they seem nervous.

Charlie also heads to school in his dad's old car and some bullies make fun of him. Elsewhere, Kate meets Diana, who looks excited and says that her company wants Kate's book in stores by Christmas. Dylan's birthday party is coming up. She also mentions that Kate should be ready for a book tour, which will take just about 2 weeks.

Kate says she can't leave her kids alone for that long, but Diana mentions that the company won't publish the book if there's no book tour. As Kate thinks about this, she decides to call Tom, who is struggling to keep up with taking care of the kids. Despite this, he tells Kate that things are great at home and she can stay in New York for the book tour. After the call ends, Tom puts the kids to bed and goes to meet Lorraine, who advises him to call Kate to come back because the house is a disaster without her.

Tom says he cannot do that because it would be unfair. and Lorraine tells him to consider spending more time at home. Tom says he needs to take his job seriously and that he'll get a babysitter for the younger kids. After making several calls, all the babysitters in the neighborhood turn down the job because they don't want to deal with 12 kids. With this, Tom continues spending less time with his kids who start missing their old home in Midland.

As Charlie also struggles at his new school, he tries to talk to Tom about it. rising in the national standings and they're taking nothing for granted. Almost immediately, Shake calls Tom for a press conference and Charlie looks disappointed when his dad leaves. Things continue to get tough for Tom at home. And one day, when he arrives late to work, Shake tells him to figure out a way to avoid messing up his job.

The next day, Tom decides to bring his players home so he can spend more time with the kids. Despite this, Tom ends up devoting most of his time to training his players, and his kids aren't happy about this. While Tom seems more focused on succeeding with his team, his kids start making trouble and fighting at school. The school eventually calls his attention to it, and after he scolds the kids, he tells them that they're now grounded.

The kids aren't happy about this, and after they all head to their rooms, Mark starts missing Kate. The next day, while Tom is explaining some tactics to his team, Sarah and her younger siblings realize that it's Dylan's birthday. Since their dad won't let them go, they decide to sneak out while he's focused on his team. Next year, let's book the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, too.

When the kids get to the party, they hand over the presents they got for Dylan. Interestingly, Mark's gift is a pet snake, which eventually escapes from its box. This causes panic at the party, and as Tom hears people shouting from across the street, he realizes that his kids aren't at home. He immediately instructs his players to bring his kids back home.

And while they're at it, things don't go according to plan. Dylan and one of Tom's players get injured. And as Shake hears this, he calls Tom to scold him. He adds that he doesn't want the players going to Tom's house anymore. Before Tom can say anything, some reporters stop him at the hospital to ask about what happened. elsewhere.

While Kate is on a TV show to talk about her book, Sarah calls in to tell her to come home. Kate is shocked by this, but the call eventually ends when Sarah and her younger siblings start arguing. Kate then realizes that things aren't going well at home, and she calls Tom, whose team has just lost a game. Tom says he has been doing his best and that he's not really in the mood to talk.

Sounds like somebody got his Jimmy whipped. After he ends the call, Kate tells Diana that she's done with the book tour because she has to go home to her kids. The next day, Kate calls Tom to tell him that she's already on her way home. She adds that she needs him and the kids to keep the house clean because the publishing company has arranged for the Oprah Winfrey show to film there the next day.

Tom looks surprised by this, but he agrees to do his best to keep the house clean. Norah also comes over to help and she invites Hank to spend the night at the house even though she knows her parents won't like it. The next day, Tom receives a letter informing him that Charlie has quit the football team. This leaves him shocked and he goes to confront Charlie about making such a decision.

Charlie says he doesn't fit in at the school and that he's heading back to Midland. Tom says Charlie cannot quit the team and walk out on his family. Charlie says they don't seem to be a family anymore because Tom and Kate have only been looking out for themselves. Tom says he got the job to help the family, but Charlie says it's a lie.

He adds that he knows Tom took the job to make up for not being a star like Shake back in college. The wife's name is Kate Shake. As he insists that he's moving back to Midland, Tom says he cannot go anywhere until he gets a diploma. Charlie seems pissed, but says he'll leave the house after graduation.

After he heads out for a while, Kate arrives home and Lorraine tells her that things haven't been easy for Tom. When Kate enters the house, she sees Tom and asks about Charlie. Tom explains what happened. And as Kate looks shocked, he says he's already handling it. Shortly after Oprah's production team arrives, Shake and the president of the football team show up at the house to see Tom.

Shake and the president then express their concerns about how Tom has been handling the team. They also mention that they want to know if he's fully committed to the team and that he needs to give them an answer soon. Elsewhere, Mark notices that Beans isn't feeling well, and this leaves him worried. Meanwhile, Tom sees Hank in the house and scolds Nora for letting him spend the night.

As Tom angrily walks away, Kate asks why he let things get so bad. Tom says he did his best, but Kate implies that their decision to pursue big careers isn't working out. Okay, everybody. Later that day, Kate tells the kids to behave well when Oprah arrives because they need to show that they're a happy family.

Just then, Mark mentions that Beans is dead. But Sarah says no one cares. As she calls him FedEx, he gets pissed and attacks her. Kate and Tom try to stop the fight, but Oprah's production team calls off the show because the family isn't as happy as they expected. Later that night, Kate checks Mark's room and realizes that he's gone.

Tom looks shocked and immediately calls Charlie to start looking for Mark. Charlie then apologizes for what he said to his dad earlier, but Tom says it's fine because his son was actually right. Following this, Tom, Kate, and all the kids leave the house to start looking for Mark. Tom also calls Nora and she says she'll come with Hank to help look for Mark.

After the call ends, she tells Hank to come with her, but he refuses. This leaves her disappointed and she decides to leave him because he doesn't care about her family. After looking around the neighborhood and involving the police, Norah implies that Mark might be trying to head back to Midland. Tom realizes that she's right, and he quickly heads to the nearest train station.

Cheaper By The Dozen (2003) Ending Explained

When he gets there, he decides to look inside the train that is about to leave for Midland. Luckily, he spots Mark and immediately hugs him. Mark then says that Tom failed to keep his promise about making the family happier in their new home. Tom says he knows and as the train starts moving, he just sits next to his son.

When they return to the train station, Mark looks happy to see Kate and his siblings already waiting for him. Sarah tells him not to run away again, and Mark realizes that his family loves him, even though they don't always show it. The next day, Tom heads to work and tells Shake that he'll be leaving the team at the end of the season. Shake asks if he's giving up on his dream, but he says he's just going for another one.

He adds that he doesn't have any regrets because if he screws up raising his kids, nothing he achieves will matter much. Come on, keep the assembly line up here. The next day, the kids notice that Tom isn't around, and they ask Kate where he went. Kate says Tom is at his final game and that he didn't want the kids to be there on the day he quits his job.

The kids look shocked and offer to make sacrifices so that Tom can keep his job. However, Kate says Tom is making the decision because he thinks it's the best thing to do. Shortly after, Tom's team wins his last game. And as he walks on the field alone, his wife and kids show up with a sign to express their love for him.

Tom looks happy and hugs his family before they head home together. A while later, Tom gets another job close to the house so he can spend more time with his family. Kate's book also becomes a bestseller, and Norah moves back in with her family as they celebrate Christmas. After initially choosing to raise their kids over pursuing their dream jobs, Tom and Kate eventually get another shot at doing what they really want.

Unfortunately, things don't work out as expected and they end up spending less time with their kids who grow unhappy about the situation. With the family now on the brink of falling apart, Tom and Kate make another sacrifice by quitting their top jobs to focus on raising their kids well.