Coming to theaters 12/19/03

'Cheaper by the Dozen'

Starring Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Tom Welling, Hilary Duff, Piper Perabo, and Kevin Schmidt. This loose remake of the 1950 Walter Lang film tells the story of small-town college football coach Tom Baker, who tries to run his wacky brood (a gaggle of patience-trying kids) according to the same principles he uses with his team. When Tom gets offered a better job coaching at a major university, he and his wife, Kate, must move the entire family. Chaos rules, because Kate is on the road promoting her just-published memoir, leaving Tom in charge of the out-of-control clan and overwhelmed with work, at home and away from it. Rated PG for language and some thematic elements. Starts Thursday. (West Park Cine)

'Mona Lisa Smile'

Starring Julia Roberts, Marcia Gay Harden, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Dominic West. Set in 1953, this story of art history professor Katherine Watson, who travels from her native California (leaving her boyfriend behind) to take a job at the prestigious and very conservative all-female Wellesley College, where students study but also spend a great deal of time scouting for their future husbands. Katherine, though, wants her students to strive for something more independent, and her liberal thinking soon gets her into hot water with the school's administration. Rated PG-13 for sexual content and thematic issues. (Cape West Cine)

'Paycheck'

Starring Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman, Aaron Eckhart, Michael C. Hall, Paul Giamatti, and Kathryn Morris. A high-tech genius has his memory erased by his employer as a security precaution upon completing special projects. After finishing his latest project, which has taken three years to complete, he receives not his usual lucrative paycheck, but an envelope containing 19 items, including ticket stubs, bus tokens, and other reminders he sent himself before the procedure. He's told he chose to forfeit any monetary compensation. The problem is, he can't remember a thing, since his brain has been wiped clean. With the help of a co-worker he's been attracted to for years, he tries to retrace his steps and figure out what's happening before his employers can eliminate not just his position, but him. Rated PG-13 for intense action violence and brief. Starts Thursday. (Cape West Cine)

-- From wire reports