Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (www.the-usher.com)

"Where's that Baker family spirit?"

Been the parents of twelve children was never going to be easy for Tom (Martin) and Kate (Hunt) Baker but the hardest thing they were ever going to do was to say goodbye to some of them. As Lorraine (Duff) is about to move to New York and Nora (Perabo) is about to have a first baby, Tom comes up with a plan to have one last family vacation back at their favourite holiday destination, the Lake. When they get there however, Tom finds that his old childhood rival Jimmy Murtaugh (Levy) now owns most of the lakeside properties and is just as competitive as ever, so Tom now has to prove that his family is better.

Any movie that makes a decent profit at the box office these days seems to get a sequel and 'Cheaper by the Dozen' doesn't buck that trend.

While the first movie was a harmless, slightly charming comedic romp about a very large family the second film is more of the same but far too over the top. As the family is about to break up for the first time, Tom and Kate get nostalgic for the good old days of vacations by the lake and all of the family bonding they did there. So for one last time, they gather the family together and try and recapture those past vacations that they loved so much. The premise sets itself up for some sugar coating and it doesn't disappoint.

This is one of the most sickly sweet sequels you are ever going to see, the movie concentrates more on three main storylines, namely toy-boy Sarah, played by the Alyson Stoner, as she grows up and discovers boys, Charlie's (Tom Welling in a much bigger role) desire to do something with his life and the competitiveness between Tom and Jimmy which has been brewing since their childhood together. While the Sarah and Charlie stories advance the characters and make the film more relatable and relevant, it is the Tom and Jimmy rivalry that weakens the film.

You'd would think that two extremely gifted comedic actors would bring many more laughs to a competitive streak that has latest most of their character's lives but due to shortcomings in the script this opportunity is sadly missed. Both Eugene Levy and especially Steve Martin have seen better comedy days and both of them really need to get back to their wacky and extremely more humorous past if they want to be taken seriously as comedians.

The rest of the cast is fine. Jaime King brings some beauty to the proceedings as Jimmy eldest daughter. Bonnie Hunt is as good as ever but is criminally underused. Carmen Electra proves that she is more than just a pretty face with a killer body. The kids are also good but most of them have little or nothing to do because of the lack of storylines for them.

'Cheaper by the Dozen 2' is an unnecessary sequel to a very average movie. Far too sugary sweet with not enough character development or major laughs, this is a basic family comedy that comes up well sort of a dozen.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented well.

BONUS FEATURES

Commentary by director Adam Shankman
The man at the helm offers you behind the scenes and backstory information about production. The director talks about working with twenty kids on the set and what it was like working with three comedic masters in Steve Martin, Eugene Levy and Bonnie Hunt. He also reveals how they worked the film around the schedule of the young cast members that have been picked up by other movies or TV shows. Shankman also reveals how they approached the casting of the new family. This is a decent comedy from someone who clearly believes in the film he has produced.

Fox Movie Channel Presents: Casting Session (8.03 mins)
Director Adam Shankman, screenwriter Sam Harper, casting director Monica Swann and stars Steve Martin, Eugene Levy, Bonnie Hunt and Carman Electra talk about casting the Murtaugh's. They talk about casting Bud, Jimmy, Elliot, Sarina and the kids.

Camp Chaos (10.17 mins)
Director Adam Shankman and stars Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Hilary Duff, Eugene Levy, Brent Kinsman, Shane Kinsman, Kevin Schmidt, Carmen Electra, Jaime King, Taylor Lautner, Piper Perabo, Forrest Landis, Jacob Smith, Blake Woodruff and Liliana Mumy talk about the organised chaos on the set and on the screen. They talk about having twenty kids on the set and working with Gunner the dog.

A Comedic Trio (5.27 mins)
Director Adam Shankman and stars Hilary Duff, Brent Kinsman, Shane Kinsman, Kevin Schmidt, Carmen Electra, Jaime King, Taylor Lautner, Piper Perabo, Forrest Landis, Jacob Smith, Blake Woodruff, Alyson Stoner and Liliana Mumy talk about working with Steve Martin, Eugene Levy and Bonnie Hunt.

Trailers
Watch the two theatrical trailers for 'Cheaper by the Dozen 2'.

Coming Soon
Previews of 'The Family Stone', 'Like Mike 2', 'Big Mama's House 2', 'Dr Dolittle 3' and 'Ice Age: The Meltdown'

OVERALL

While the film might not be that great, the DVD treatment isn't that bad. The featurettes cover the making of the film and commentary is pretty good. Fans of the film should be happy with this DVD.

DVD

Cheaper by the Dozen

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2005