Zach Braff and Gabrielle Union have a full house in the trailer for Disney+’s Cheaper by the Dozen remake. The familiar story features Braff and Union as Paul and Zoey Baker, a married couple with a blended family of 12: five kids from Paul’s previous relationship and five kids from Zoey’s. Get it? A Baker’s dozen? (Although that would technically mean 13 family members, so the pun falls apart a bit there.)
The film’s trailer shows Braff and Union scrambling to get their rowdy clan ready for school, chasing kids as they careen through the house on scooters, and supervising TikTok dance sessions. “We’re not a cult, but we’re weird. We’re one of a kind all the way,” the two narrate over footage of their misadventures.
As with previous iterations of the story, quite literally all of the jokes hinge on the chaos of parenting, with different versions of the same “there’s too many kids!” punchline. It also appears to basically be an exact copy of the 2003 version of the film starring Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt, but with the added threat of Instagram.
The highlight of the trailer is when one of Zoey’s sons absolutely roasts Braff’s character, saying, “Thanks for being so average and relatable, Paul, with average looks and an ordinary body.” The adorable Mykal-Michelle Harris, who previously starred in black-ish spin-off mixed-ish, is a standout as well.
Cheaper by the Dozen will also feature Erika Christensen and a sprawling cast of child actors. The family flick was penned by black-ish creator Kenya Barris and frequent collaborator Jenifer Rice-Genzuk Henry. Gail Lerner (black-ish, Grace and Frankie) is directing.
It’s the latest addition to Disney’s ever-expanding selection of remakes that bring to mind the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
