The Bakers, a family of 12, move from small-town Illinois to the big city after Tom Baker gets his dream job to coach his alma mater's football team. Meanwhile, his wife also gets her dream of getting her book published. While she's away promoting the book, Tom has a hard time keeping the house in order while at the same time coaching his football team, as the once happy family starts falling apart.

Based on the real life Gilbreth family. The name Gilbreth appears several times throughout the film: Nora says that it's her grandmother's name when the kids are playing the game with the apples; it's Kate's maiden name according to her yearbook; it's Kate's maiden name according to the dust jacket of her book.

Tom:
You soaked his underwear in meat. That is so wrong. Funny, but wrong.

Continuity: When Kate hugs Mark at the train station, her sunglasses fall off the top of her head, but in the next shot her glasses are neatly back up on her head.

Written by Natalie Merchant and Robert Buck
Performed by 10,000 Maniacs
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group
By Arrangement with Warner Strategic Marketing