Information email: largefamilies2001@yahoo.com
NEW UPDATE: Thanksgiving Weekend 2003 showing
My Flesh and Blood (2002), and HBO film: An organic score with interspersed surreal episode, would be the best way to describe our approach to this score. Documentary following Susan Tom of Fairfield, CA and her eleven adopted special needs children. While a daughter without legs dates the most popular boy in school, and a child with severe burns becomes the top student in her class, one of Susan's children plans to destroy this happy family...And when one child unexpectedly dies, My Flesh and Blood reveals how the Tom family draws strength from their struggles in what turns out to be the most tumultuous year of their lives.
For more information contact sundance.org
Directed by Johnathan Karsh,
Produced by Jennifer Chaiken.
Chaikenfilms
2. Cheaper By the Dozen
Release Date: December 25th, 2003 (wide)
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Company: 1492 Pictures (Fantastic Four, Monkeybone; Chris Columbus' company), Ben Myron Productions (Telling Lies in America)
Cast: Steve Martin (Thomas "Tom" Baker), Bonnie Hunt (Mrs. Mary Baker), Hilary Duff, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Piper Perabo (Anne Baker), Tom Welling, Brent Kinsman and Shane Kinsman (Kyle and Nigel Baker), Alyson Stoner; other cast not announced yet.
Cast Notes: (2/20/03) The IMDb also lists Queen Latifah as costarring with Steve Martin, but I've not heard that confirmed elsewhere, so I think perhaps a movie fan (that site is very fan-driven) confused this movie with Bringing Down the House, which *does* star Martin and Latifah. (4/17/03) Queen Latifah may not be in this movie, but another rapper is looking to get into the acting game. Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott has signed on to play one of the 12 children. I'm just guessing, but my educated guess is that her character was probably adopted. :) (5/17/03) I've received word that Ashton Kutcher has joined the cast, possibly playing Piper Perabo's boyfriend (although that is not yet confirmed). (6/14/03) The listing in "The Hollywood Reporter" that the Ashton Kutcher news came from was apparently a typo on their part. Oops!
Director: Shawn Levy (Big Fat Liar, Just Married)
Director Notes: (2/20/03) Back in late 2001, Matt Williams (Where the Heart Is) signed on to direct this project, but he had dropped out within a year, replaced by Levy.
Screenwriter: Craig Titley (cowriter of See Spot Run); rewrite by Sam Harper (Just Married, Rookie of the Year)
Based Upon: This film is a (loose) remake of the Walter Lang (Desk Set, The King and I, Snow White and the Three Stooges) directed 1950 comedy, 'Cheaper by the Dozen' (starring Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy), which was itself based upon a popular 1940s childrens book written by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, which was based upon the true story of Gilbreth's father, Frank, Sr. Gilbreth's story was also adapted as a stage musical by Mark Bucci, also called 'Cheaper by the Dozen'. This version is making considerable changes to the story (setting in the 21st century, changing the family name), but the biggest is that the father character is no longer an "efficiency expert" as he was in real life (and the first film), but a college football coach.
Sequel Note: (2/20/03) The original 1950 movie was followed by a sequel in 1952, 'Belles on Their Toes', starring Myrna Loy (though without Clifton Webb or director Walter Lang), which was about the mother trying to cope with the family's money problems after the death of Frank, Sr. It's not yet known if Fox is planning on also remaking this sequel if the first movie is a success, but that would mean either Steve Martin wouldn't be returning, or they'd make some other change in the spirit of it being a "loose" remake (like maybe Martin's character would just lose his job, not die, etc.). (2/26/03) Going back to the subject of a possible sequel, it's worth noting that one of Steve Martin's other comedic remakes, Father of the Bride, *did* get a sequel.
Setting Note: (2/20/03) Although the real Frank Gilbreth family story took place in the 1910s-1920s, this film is adapting the story to a modern 21st century setting, with the name of the family also being changed from Gilbreth to Baker. Premise: When Tom Baker (Martin) gets a job offer to coach football at Northwestern University in Chicago, he and his wife, Mary (Hunt), move to the big city, which is a big change for them and their 12 children, who range from preschool-age twins Kyle and Nigel all the way up to 22-year-old Anne (Perabo) who has already left home. With the recent publication of her long-in-the-works book, Mary feels demands outside the home taking away as much time as Tom's new job does, so the two are forced to try to find new ways of parenting their massive tribe, but they find their parenting styles aren't always completely compatible... (Welling plays the oldest son; Duff plays one of the middle daughters; 5-year-old identical twins Brent and Shane Kinsman play the "twin terrors", Kyle and Nigel.)
Filming: Production started on March 31st, 2003 in Los Angeles. This project has been long in development, with Fox originally thinking they would have it ready to be filmed as early as 1998.
Genre: Comedy, Kids, Remake
Message Board: Share your thoughts on our "Cheaper by the Dozen" Message Board.
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