Webb and there is an awesome sadness at the film's conclusion, as we see a man and his era pass into history. The movie is really about the end of an era, as we see the very tail end of the Gilded Age turning into the roaring twenties, and with it the death of the old paternalism, at times stiff, occasionally charming, perfectly embodied by Mr. Early twentieth century America is captured in all its overstuffed, art nouveau-ish glory, as the film's plot, irregular, often going off on odd tangents, perfectly mimics that style of design so popular at the time. There isn't much story here, as events unfold naturally, as they do in life, and one isn't always sure where the film is going. Myrna Loy is solid as Webb's patient, loving wife, and Jeanne Crain energetic as his spunky daughter. When Kate Baker (Hunt, Jerry Maguire) gets a book deal for her chronicle of their abundant family life, she also gets drawn into a book tour-leaving Tom (Martin, Bringing Down the House, The Jerk) to run the house and cope with his new, high-pressure job as a football coach. The color is gorgeous, and the interior design of the family's New Jersey home ought to have won an Oscar. Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt corral a wild herd of rampaging children in Cheaper by the Dozen, an enjoyable family flick. Clifton Webb is a joy in this delightful film, based on a true story, of an eccentric genius and his twelve children.
