Family fun

The Bakers live in a small Illinois town where Tom coaches the local college football team. The family's day-to-day life is marked by equal parts love and chaos. When Tom is offered his dream job coaching a squad at a large university he and Kate uproot the family, much to the displeasure of all 12 children. At the same time, Kate learns that her memoirs are about to be published.

Her agent whisks her away to New York to promote the book, leaving Tom home alone to handle the increasingly unhappy and hectic household, as well as his demanding new job. With all hell breaking loose at home, Kate on the road, and Tom's job on the line, the Baker family ultimately chooses not to have it all, but to love what they do have.

Cheaper By The Dozen stars Steve Martin as over-extended dad Tom Baker and Bonnie Hunt as Kate, the mum who has mastered the art of daily emergency management.

Director Shawn Levy, who helmed box office hits Just Married and Big Fat Liar, seized the opportunity to bring audiences a film that mixes a modern comic sensibility with old-fashioned sentiment rooted in traditional family values. "The idea of making a love letter to the zaniness of large families was really appealing to me," says Levy. "Cheaper By The Dozen is about family, loyalty and priorities."

Martin appreciated Cheaper By The Dozen's fresh perspective. "The script had a new-fangled approach to family that we don't see much in films today," he says.

Growing up in a family of seven children, Hunt appreciated the film's take on large families. She saw the role of Kate as an opportunity to pay tribute to mothers everywhere. "I made it a point to play Kate as an intelligent woman," says Hunt. "It was very important to me that she not be just The Mum,' because like so many mothers, Kate is complex and three-dimensional. She is very much in love with her husband and she's convinced that they can take on the world. But Kate also has a lot going on in her heart and in her mind that her husband and children may not be aware of. But it's always there underneath.

"It's been a joy to play Kate and to delve into what makes her tick: love, patience and a huge sense of humour."

Hilary Duff, who plays Lorraine, enjoyed working in a big comedy. "The movie really shows the struggles that a family of 14 goes through the good and the bad times," says Duff. "My character Lorraine is really into fashion, clothes, hair and makeup and likes to spend a lot of time in front of the mirror. But in a way, she brings balance to the family. Things get crazy and hectic, and Lorraine, as one of the older kids, helps keep it together."

The Cheaper By The Dozen set was often a frenzied environment that mirrored the dynamics of the Baker family.

"At first I didn't really know how it was going to work with so many of us on set," says Hilary Duff. "Sometimes scenes took a little bit longer to shoot, because there were 12 of us and we all had to be focused and work together, but there was never a boring moment."

Steve Martin developed critical psychological tactics when working with his very young co-stars. "With 12 kids on set, it's impossible to control everything," he says.

Controlled chaos was a key component of several large set pieces that incorporate physical comedy and complicated action. One involved a family breakfast with a frog on the loose and a melee of flying scrambled eggs. The scene was not one of Hilary Duff's favourites. "I got splattered with the eggs the most," says Duff. "It was horrible because I can't stand eggs!"