CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN

Yes — and gladly. This is a comedy built around a family of twelve kids who are loud, messy, and constantly in each other's business, and yet genuinely love one another. That love is the engine of the movie, and it's why the laughs land as warmly as they do.

What sets this one apart is what it's willing to affirm. The film makes room for a positive mention of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and its moral center — forgiveness, family, decency, repentance — triumphs in a big way. A few "politically correct" beats show up along the way, but the movie itself usually pushes back on them rather than letting them stand unchallenged.

There's a little slapstick, a little crude comedy, and a couple of things worth a quick word with younger kids beforehand. None of it undercuts what the movie is actually about. This is family movie night done right.

Kate Baker is writing a memoir about raising twelve children over twenty-three years — and life at home is exactly as chaotic and loving as that sounds. Her husband, Tom, coaches high school football in their small town, until a dream job coaching college ball in Chicago pulls the whole family into a big move none of the kids asked for. Then Kate has to leave home for the first time ever, for a publishing trip to New York — and the household is left to fend for itself.

Four stars means this one earns its laughs and its heart in equal measure. The film is, plainly, very funny — the kind of broad family comedy that keeps a dozen storylines moving without losing the thread. Credit goes to a director who "keeps all the balls in the air," juggling a house full of characters without the movie ever feeling scattered or exhausting to watch.

It isn't the beloved novel it's named for, and fans of the source material should adjust expectations accordingly. But judged as its own film, it's a tremendously enjoyable one — reportedly the most enjoyable feature released that Christmas season, and it's easy to see why.

This is a comedy with an unusually clear moral spine. It carries a very strong, implied Christian worldview, and it does something rare for a mainstream family comedy: it makes positive mention of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, right in the middle of a household in total disarray. Love, family, forgiveness, decency, repentance, and morality don't just appear here — they win, decisively, by the end.

The film does flirt briefly with some politically correct attitudes, but true to its overall moral seriousness, it tends to rebuke rather than endorse them. That consistency is part of what makes the film's better instincts feel earned rather than tacked on.

At its heart, this is a movie about a family nearly losing sight of each other under the pressure of ambition and career — and finding their way back through humility and forgiveness. Scripture frames family the same way, as a gift worth protecting: "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord" (Psalm 127:3). A film willing to say that out loud, resurrection and all, deserves credit for it.

This is exactly the kind of comedy Movieguide loves to recommend without hesitation: funny, warm, morally serious, and unafraid to name Christ in the middle of the mess. Worth the trip. Gather the family, expect to laugh, and don't be surprised if it says more than you thought a Christmas comedy could.