Wondering if 2022’s Cheaper By the Dozen is ok for kids? This remake of a remake brings back the Baker family with an interracial marriage, a blended family, and social commentary. Cheaper By the Dozen is still funny and heartwarming, but is it kid friendly? Here’s what parents need to know in this 2022 Cheaper By the Dozen Parents Guide starring Gabrielle Union and Zach Braff.
2022 Cheaper By the Dozen Parents Guide
Paul (Zach Braff) and Zoe Baker (Gabrielle Union) are raising 10 kids all while trying to manage and grow their popular breakfast diner – Baker’s Breakfast. Each have children from a first marriage, adopted another, had two sets of twins, and brought in a sibling’s child to make an even dozen. Don’t forget the two pups – Bark Obama and Joe Biten!
When Paul finds investors for his secret sauce, he can finally afford a bigger home in a fancier neighborhood for his family, but the Bakers don’t quite fit in. Chaos ensues and some of the kids start rebelling. Occurring simultaneously is Paul’s quirky ex (Erika Christensen) hanging around constantly, but she does help with the kids. Also Zoe’s rich and famous football star ex-husband comes back into the picture and wants to be more involved with his kids. Welcome to the crazy!
Why is Cheaper By the Dozen Rated PG?
Cheaper By the Dozen is Rated PG for thematic elements, suggestive material, and language which means some material may not be suitable for kids. Parents should be aware that Cheaper By the Dozen does address mature topics, so PG means Parental Guidance suggested.
Especially after the Turning Red debacle, if you’re uncomfortable with certain topics, then preview the movie first. However, these are all things we should be talking to our children about.
Language
There are a few uses of damn and some words of Deity used.
Mature Content
There are a couple suggestive references that allude to sex. You also see a couple start to make out on a counter.
A character is bullied for his ethnic background.
Examples of racism are shown as well as discussions about being black in America.
A child comes to live with the family when his mother has to go to rehab.
Kids get suspended from school for fighting.
Topics for discussion with children include divorce, blended families, biracial children, drunk driving, racism, bullying, honesty, supportive families, and dreams.
Is Cheaper By the Dozen Appropriate for Kids Under 10?
At the heart of Cheaper By the Dozen is family. It tackles important topics while weaving in humor and love. It never forgets its target audience and remains a family-friendly film. I’d recommend Cheaper By the Dozen for ages 8 and up, but younger kids could also enjoy it, especially because some of the young actors are hilarious and too cute.
Zach Braff and Gabrielle Union as the leading couple are what makes this film work. Braff as the nerdy and relatable father and Union as the strong, loving, and sometimes overwhelmed matriarch. Sometimes you think Zoe is too good for Paul, but nice guys often get the girl. After all, Zoe walked away from that walk-in closet when she wasn’t appreciated. Their acceptance of everyone in their family, faults and exes included, is refreshing. And I don’t care what you say, but that corny dance scene had me rolling.
Cheaper By the Dozen does get chaotic with its story and at times, tries to do too much. With so many sub-plots, I would become engaged with one, only to move onto the next, without enough story or resolution. The pacing was rushed and messy. Also, the blatant product placements were weird.
While some of the social commentary felt out of place in a scene or two, I’m glad they were addressed. Racism and prejudice were brought up in age appropriate ways and serve as an opening to discuss these important topics with our children, because sadly all of these issues are prevalent in schools and with adults in this world. The first place we can start is that movie poster. It sure was nice to see diversity in a family, because they’re not all the same.
One thing that bothered me is that in a film that I believe was trying to promote acceptance and kindness were the cheap shots at Paul’s blonde investors referring to them as Barbie or something similar. Let’s keep the kindness consistent.
However, bravo to adults being angry or emotional in the film, but also being able to have mature conversations and keep an open mind. There are problems with the film, but it’s one that parents and kids will be able to enjoy together. Cheaper By the Dozen is a family-friendly comedy with a modern take on how family really is everything.
