Big Families, Big Feelings: Why Cheaper by the Dozen Feels Like Home

Ok, here’s the thing. I’m taking a very much necessary break from packing because I’m soaked in sweat, buried under a mountain of suitcases and rocking two completely different socks. It’s a look.

I needed a minute. I’ve been on this little comfort movie kick lately because who isn’t? and Cheaper by the Dozen? It’s like the queen of comfort movies for me.

It’s not trying to be some artsy masterpiece. Nope. It’s loud, chaotic, a little messy, super sweet and totally real.

Big family kid over here, so this movie? Feels like home. The yelling, the sneaky sibling alliances that definitely make you side eye everyone. Yep. Lived it. Still living it. Honestly, it’s comforting for me to see my chaos on screen and think, “Ok, I’m not the only one.”

Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt playing the parents of 12, Tom and Kate? Doing their absolute best to keep it together while everyone else loses it. Piper Perabo? That older sibling desperately trying to have her own life. Hilary Duff? Girl’s sparkling, dramatic, and completely iconic.

There are hilarious Ashton Kutcher scenes sprinkled throughout (I love that the Punk’d crew is in this movie. Total 2000s vibes).

And Mark. I’m not even joking, wrecks me. That quiet heartbreak is everything. He just wants to be seen and honestly? Don’t we all?

Oh, and Tom Welling as Charlie Baker??? So cute. I kept wishing I’d find a Midwestern hottie like him here in Chicago, but oh well. Lol.

The soundtrack? Absolute bangers. Like, every song hits you right in the nostalgia feels.

AND brace yourselves. Cheaper by the Dozen 2? Totally underrated and absolutely comforting. The perfect summer movie. Lake house vibes, rival families, hilarious hijinks, and all the heart you need.

I even showed the original to Cricket, the little girl I babysit, and she legit watched the whole thing. No breaks, no “Spirit, Spirit, Spirit!” (her actual fave movie), no begging to switch. She asked to watch it again. Like, what? That’s a win for the ages.

So yeah. If you’re looking for a movie to make you laugh, cry, text your siblings some love, and maybe eat a comfort meal (I just had some Indian food) this is it. Put it on, let it hold you tight, and just breathe for a minute.

Now, spill. What are some of your comfort movies? The ones that feel like a secret hug you go back to every time life’s a little too much? I wanna know all about it.

xx,

Tallulah