A new dozen humans are running around Disney+! – The new Cheaper by the Dozen has just hit Disney+, and while it is a bit hit and miss, it explores the important elements that are essential to a mixed-race, blended family.
Zach Braff and Gabrielle Union star as Paul and Zoey Baker, a mixed-race married couple raising ten kids together alongside their exes and a couple of dogs.
The film’s story is unique due to the black, caucasian, and mixed-race kids that Paul and Zoey have. However, they didn’t have ten children together.
Zoey and Paul were both married before. Paul was married to Yoga lover Kate, with whom he had two daughters, Ella and Harley. They adopted their godson, Haresh, after his parents died.
Meanwhile, Zoey was married to Dom, a footballer who made it big. Together they had a daughter, Deja, and a son, DJ.
Eventually, the first marriages fall apart and Zoey and Paul meet at the diner he worked at. They later marry become stepparents to each other’s children. Deja and DJ lean a lot on Paul and get along with him and his kids. Sometime later, Zoey falls pregnant with one set of twins, Luna and Luca. Then, surprise! Another set of twins. Bailey and Bronx. The family went from seven to eleven. But wait! What about the twelfth?
After the Bakers move to Calabasas, Zoey receives a call from her unseen sister-in-law, Rachel, who has been sent to rehab. Paul and Zoey then take in their nephew, Seth, who, voila makes our Cheaper by the Dozen.
Dom The Absent Parent
While Paul is the dad of the Baker clan, Dom still has a presence in Deja and DJ’s lives. However, he is more concerned with his work and is focused on Deja’s basketball career. While he acknowledges DJ, he doesn’t have much to do with him, and as he points out, he doesn’t know a thing about his son.
DJ leans heavily on Paul and comes to see him as the missing paternal figure in his life. When the family moves, this becomes more evident when DJ asks Paul for advice about how to deal with girls. As Paul’s business grows, it puts a strain on the family, especially his marriage to Zoe. This includes the relationships he has with the kids, particularly Deja, who never wanted to move.
After DJ’s disastrous birthday party, Dom puts Paul on blast and accuses him of not understanding Deja and DJ and what they’re going through because they’re black. Paul doesn’t lash out, but he reminds Dom that he too has black children, and he loves Deja and DJ, and they feel the same about him.
Dom tells Zoey that he’s filing for full custody. However, after Seth runs away, Dom realises how wrong he was. Seeing the kids engage with their cousin and how Paul handles the situation allows him to witness the close bond between them. He apologises for his outburst and says he didn’t mean it.
Cheaper By The Dozen – Paul The Always There Dad
Paul might not altogether like Dom is, but he’s always there for the kids. Well, until his restaurant begins to take off. He has always been a paternal figure to Deja and DJ but has never attempted to be their father. He is closest to DJ, who is distant from his dad, who barely knows him.
While he might not be black, he understands that DJ will end up struggling as many kids of colour do at his age. His competitiveness with Dom comes across as a little desperate, though all in good humour.
Cheaper By The Dozen – Mama Edition!
Paul might be the patriarch, but the family would fall apart without Zoey. While her husband is away, Zoey has to deal with A LOT! Deja starts becoming bold when she starts dating Chris. She starts wearing skimpy outfits instead of her usual basketball shorts and sneaking out of the house when her mother confiscates her car keys.
Kate, meanwhile, isn’t too much help, especially when she gets a new boyfriend.
Zoey is befriended by a couple of wealthy mothers while also dealing with a snobby one named Anne, who criticises her at every turn.
Seth Isn’t A Bad Kid
Paul and Zoey’s nephew, Seth, is a troubled kid, having been raised by his addicted single mother. He has never met his dad. For most of his time on screen, he’s quiet and keeps to himself. However, it’s not until he sees Haresh being racially abused and bullied at school does he decide to do something. He uses the money he has squirrelled away to buy Haresh new shoes.
Later, Anne tells Zoey about a robbery that happened at her house. She implies that it was Seth. Harley and Ella confront their cousin about the money. Seth gets upset, saying they never wanted him around. As he tries to leave, the kids happen upon Paul, who has issues of his own with Dom and is trying to talk them through with him and Zoey.
Asking the kids what is going on, they explain that Seth is doing dodgy things and has “stolen” money. Paul explains that the money wasn’t stolen and that it was from the government to support Seth. He and Zoey give him the money as he needs it more than they do. Then the subject of the robbery comes up.
Zoey explains that the robbery had nothing to do with Seth as he was grounded when it happened.
