#Funniest Moments in Steve Martin’s Cheaper by the Dozen Movies, Ranked

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“#Funniest Moments in Steve Martin’s Cheaper by the Dozen Movies, Ranked”

How do you manage day-to-day life in a family with no less than twelve children? Tom and Kate Baker are experts at keeping chaos from taking over the family home in their daily routine. Not only them: everyone in the family coordinates perfectly so that problems can be easily solved. This is the main story of Cheaper by the Dozen, the film starring Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt. This remake of the 1950 film by the same title is a beloved 2003 children’s comedy, praised especially for its portrayal of a realistic family, with rights and wrongs, whose members are always ready to support whoever needs it, even if it means making big sacrifices, such as moving far away to support each other’s dreams and goals. There was also a familiarity and affection among the actors, who in fact got together seventeen years later to recreate the most iconic scenes of the film.
The sequel Cheaper by the Dozen 2 was released in 2005 with the original cast and some new additions, including Eugene Levy, Taylor Lautner, and Carmen Electra. In it, they introduced the audience to a new Baker family adventure, this time featuring a rivalry between Tom and Jimmy, the father of the Murthaugh family. This second movie reflects on children’s growth and changes in families.
This title made headlines again because a reboot produced for Disney+ was recently announced to be released in March. In this new film, Gabrielle Union and Zach Braff will play the parents who head a unique blended family. So, while we wait for the eagerly awaited premiere, let’s take a look back at some of the funniest moments from the Cheaper By The Dozen movies starring Steve Martin.

7 Beans’ Chase

Right from the start of Cheaper By The Dozen, we are introduced to the Bakers as a family that is a little too numerous, but no less organized than any other family. Tom and Kate know exactly how to lead, and their kids work as a team to carry out their daily chores. One example of this is breakfast preparation, a moment in which everyone actively participates with different tasks. However, on more than one occasion, one of the children was responsible for corrupting the family harmony with some kind of mischief, even though at times it was unintentional. Such was the case with Mark, one of the little ones, who lost Beans, his pet frog, only to find it on top of the ceiling lamp in the kitchen, supervising the breakfast from above. As usual, the family with Tom and Kate in the lead improvised a quick plan to catch Beans. And although things didn’t go exactly as they had hoped, they managed to get him, but not without engaging in a hilarious chase.

6 Tom Looking After the Kids

Tom and Kate met when they were still young, and they always shared two ambitions: having lots of children and getting their dream jobs. In Tom’s case, that eventually happened when an old friend offered him the job of coaching a soccer team, for which the whole family had to move. Although none of the kids accepted this at first, they ended up consenting to support their father and his dream — because the Baker family, first and foremost, was a close-knit family. For that same reason, when, days later, Kate received the news that her book would be published, and she was asked to travel to New York for a few days to promote it, the family again rejoiced at her achievement and supported her immediately. The first to stand by her was Tom, who took a few days off from work to organize the kids during Kate’s absence. However, something this family man didn’t consider was that, as much as he was part of the family organization, Kate was an indispensable pillar, and things quickly got out of control. Injured children, fights at school, problems at home — it was an absolute mess. This escalated when Kate’s trip was extended a few days longer than planned, so Tom decided to alter his plans: he started training his team inside the family home, taking advantage of the additional help to get the kids under control.

5 The Encounter with The Chisler at the Lake House

In Cheaper By The Dozen 2, Tom is nostalgic because he notices how many of his kids have grown up and moved away: Nora is pregnant and leaving to live in another city with her husband, Lorraine has graduated and is going to study in New York — his family is scattered all over the place. Therefore, Tom and Kate arranged a family vacation at the old house on Lake Winnetka, where they used to spend the holidays years ago. While the lake house wasn’t exactly what the Bakers were expecting, especially after discovering their new neighbor Jimmy Murthaugh’s mansion, there was one moment that changed things up: running into The Chisler. This character was a small rodent that apparently had been in the house back when the family went on vacation, and they were surprised to find him again after so many years. Of course, this little rodent caused more than one problem by stealing the family’s personal items with great agility, but at the same time he was, in large part, the one who brought them back together: hiding in his lair was the old family flag, which served to make the kids forgive their father for his competitive attitude and go to support him in the family competition.

4 Bakers vs. Murthaugh

From the moment they met, the Baker and Murthaugh kids hit it off right away. They each had different personalities, but were able to find in the other family a friend to hang out with. However, despite how well the little ones got along, their parents were determined to make them compete. Tom and Jimmy never got along, and although Tom didn’t go on the trip with a competitive attitude, it didn’t take him long before he caught up with Jimmy and, at every possible opportunity, tried to prove that his family was the best. One example of this was on camp night, where both fathers watched each other from afar and tried to make their camp night the best. There was another: the families’ competition, which clearly showed how well Tom and Jimmy’s children and wives got along, and that the rivalry was entirely theirs.
Related: These Are the Most Iconic Movies About Motherhood

3 Siblings’ Meat Prank on Hank

One thing that became clear in these films is that the Baker children’s creativity for pranks is truly unbelievable. One of the most iconic scenes of the first movie was precisely the joke they played on Hank, Nora’s boyfriend. He was a self-centered, child-loathing young man — in other words, the perfect target for pranks. So, on one occasion, some siblings got together to surprise Hank, making him fall into the pool, and then, while drying his clothes, dipping his underpants in ground beef. This caught the interest of the family dog who, once they were seated at the table, had no hesitation in launching himself after the smell, causing a commotion and driving Hank crazy.
This prank was so successful that, in the sequel, Tom himself asked Sarah, the mastermind behind most of the pranks, to do it again. Only this time, the target was Jimmy Murthaugh. Naturally, nothing worked out as expected, and that little prank set off a series of nightmarish events that led to both Jimmy and Tom eventually falling into the lake.

2 Tom and Jimmy Murthaugh’s Relationship

The rivalry between the two men led to many hilarious moments during the movie, starting from the moment they first met at the club. Jimmy grew up to be a successful millionaire, and his children became champions in all kinds of disciplines. Tom, on the other hand, was also successful, and had great kids, although considerably naughtier than the Murthaughs. This rivalry escalated throughout the film, so much so that Tom ended up in a fight with all his children and almost competing in the tournament with just the twins Kyle and Nigel for company. The same thing happened to Jimmy: in the middle of the rowing competition, Nora Baker’s water broke, and they stopped racing and tried to get the Murthaughs to help them. Jimmy, however, forced his family to continue rowing, aiming to win at all costs. This angered all of his children, who got out of the boat and swam to where the Bakers were. However, this parental feud ended happily, as both were able to settle their differences and, from then on, became good friends.

1 Sarah and Elliot’s Date

This is definitely the funniest scene in the movie. Sarah, mischief mastermind and sports genius, found out she was in love with Elliot, one of Jimmy Murthaugh’s sons. The two kids ask for permission to go to a movie together on a first date. This scene is endearing in itself for all its implications: nervous pre-teens in a very new and strange situation. But add to that two dads spying on them from afar in the movie theater causing a disturbance, and it gets even better. Tom was determined to make Jimmy understand that his son was making “the move” on Sarah, and they ended up getting into a fight that almost turned into an accident.