Crammed with moppet mayhem, mawkish sentiment and bruising slapstick, it's a flat-footed retread only Right to Lifers could love.
Cheaper By the Dozen 2 (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:88
Fresh:6
Rotten:82
Average Rating:3.7/10
Consensus: A sequel to a remake, Cheaper 2 wastes its solid cast in scenes of over-the-top, predictable humor.
Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for some crude humor and mild language
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Childrens
Theatrical Release:26-12-2005
Synopsis: Steve Martin returns as the proud patriarch of the Baker family in this sequel to the original CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, based on a book by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth. This time, all... Steve Martin returns as the proud patriarch of the Baker family in this sequel to the original CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, based on a book by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth. This time, all twelve Baker kids and their parents, Tom (Martin) and Kate (Bonnie Hunt), are going on vacation, returning to their summer cabin in Wisconsin for one last hurrah before the kids grow up and go their separate ways. Lorraine (Hilary Duff) is on her way to New York to begin an internship with VOGUE, Nora (Piper Perabo) is hugely pregnant, and the Bakers want to spend some quality time all together for a change. As the family arrives at their old house, however, they realize that some things have changed--and some things never do. Tom's old high school rival, Jimmy Murtaugh (Eugene Levy) is now the big man about town, owning much of the surrounding area, and raising his large family in a huge home across the lake from the Bakers'. The longstanding competition between the two families--or at least that of the fathers--mounts over the course of their vacation, as the two men resort to ever nastier tactics of one-upsmanship. Meanwhile, Charlie Baker (Tom Welling) becomes closer with Anne Murtaugh (Jamie King), and Sarah (Alyson Stoner) embarks on her first romance with Eliot Murtaugh (Taylor Lautner). It all comes to a head when the two families face off in a canoeing race, during which they are faced with a decision between loyalty to family and friends, and the competitive edge. [More]
Starring: Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Piper Perabo, Tom Welling
Starring: Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Piper Perabo, Tom Welling, Hilary Duff, Eugene Levy, Alyson Stoner, Forrest Landis, Taylor Lautner, Carmen Electra, Jaime King
Director: Adam Shankman
Director: Adam Shankman
Screenwriter: Sam Harper
Producer: Shawn Levy, Ben Myron
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Reviews for Cheaper By the Dozen 2
The treacle spreads like molten lava and everyone ends up flat on their molasses.
It aims to be pleasant and good-natured, which it is. There are enough laughs scattered throughout to keep everything moderately amusing, and the cast is likeable.
All the characters get in fights but, SPOILER ALERT, everything ends with hugs, violins, good wishes and warm hearts.
Noisy, silly, gratingly upbeat, and piously sentimental, Cheaper by the Dozen 2 is what passes for wholesome family entertainment these days.
For the most part, director Adam Shankman keeps the mayhem comprehensible.
Shankman drops the ball at the finish line, jettisoning the tough-love fun for cheap sentimentality.
All in all, the emphasis in this title is less on the '2' and more on the 'Cheaper.'
There's a discernible lack of enthusiasm from almost everyone involved, and Duff, who's gone from wholesome to haggard in two short years, is flat-out scary.
As I watched this sequel, a certain good feeling began to make itself known. Yes, the movie is unnecessary. However, it is unnecessary at a higher level of warmth and humor than the recent remake Yours, Mine and Ours.
A harmless, inoffensive bit of family programming during the holiday season -- and there's nothing wrong with that. But 'harmless' doesn't have to mean dull.
Its heart is in the right place, but a reliance on gimmicks and sentiment undermines the story. In the end, both the laughs and the tears here come just a little too cheap.
I think it should be considered child abuse to inflict this tripe upon children.
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 is predictable, manipulative, and probably funded by the Taliban, but that doesn't mean you won't enjoy it.
I was convinced I was going to hate this film. But, it didn't bug me as much as I thought it would.
In this Hollywood fantasy about a family with 12 kids, nobody does chores, we never see dirty dishes and mom (Bonnie Hunt) is always immaculately groomed, dressed and smiling June Cleaver-style, right down to the tasteful string of pearls.
A sequel every bit as bland, forced and flat as the generic 2003 comedy which spawned it.
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