dragonfire88's Full Review: Cheaper By the Dozen 2
I have liked Steve Martin for years and I tend to see any movie he is in just because of his presence. He can be silly, but I think he is very funny and usually enjoy his movies. In the last few years, he has become more popular again. In December of 2003, he appeared in Cheaper by the Dozen with Bonnie Hunt, a family movie that went on to be hugely popular. Since that movie was so popular, I really wasn’t that surprised to find out that a sequel was coming. Since Steve Martin was in it, I decided to go see Cheaper by the Dozen 2.
Tom and Kate Baker would soon have to deal with some of their children moving away. Lorraine, who just graduated from high school, got an internship with a magazine in New York. Nora and her husband Bud would be moving in the fall, right around the time when their first baby was due because he was taking a new job in Houston. Tom and Kate still had a house full of children, but they were sad at the thought of two of them moving so far away. Tom and Kate remember the fun family vacations they had spent at a lake and Tom decided that they should all spend one last vacation all together there.
Once there, Tom was pulled back into a competition with Jimmy Murtaugh and his family. The Murtaugh’s always won a family competition that was held on Labor Day. Jimmy and his new wife Sarina lived in a huge mansion across the lake from where the Baker family was staying. The Baker kids enjoyed spending time with the Murtaugh kids and all the fancy things Jimmy had for them. Jimmy was very strict with his eight kids and was always pushing them to excel at everything. Tom became obsessed with finally beating Jimmy and his family, which caused discord within the Baker family.
I saw the 2003 version of Cheaper by the Dozen in the theater when it first came out. I know that was a remake of an older movie even though I’ve never seen the original. I enjoyed the movie, though since then have watched it again and now think it is a bit sillier than I originally thought it was. It is still an entertaining movie. I’ve only slightly changed my opinion on that movie. It was funny, but most of the humor came from some very silly and even juvenile things. I did expect the same sort of thing in Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and while there was some of that type of humor, it did seem like there was less of it. There was one scene that was very much like the infamous meat soaked underwear incident from the first movie. There were some slapstick type of comedy moments in the movie that managed to keep from being too silly. This is a good comedy for families. Some parents just may find some of it too silly. A few scenes were included that were more serious. I think a few of them were included strictly in an attempt to pull at the heartstrings of the viewers.
Even though I think Cheaper by the Dozen 2 is a family friendly movie, there were a few things included that some parents may not want their kids to see. Sarina was much younger than Jimmy and very attractive. She wore clothes that were tight and most of his shirts were rather low cut. In one scene, someone spilled something on Kate, soaking her shirt and making it rather transparent. Sarina loaned her a very tight, low-cut shirt to wear after that. Some parents might think the women were wearing things that were too revealing for a family movie, but there wasn’t as much skin shown as in a lot of other movies. In one scene, Charlie was so busy starting at the backside of a young woman in a bikini that he fell off a dock. There were a few married couples and they were affectionate with each other. Sarah, who was normally a tomboy, had her first crush with Eliot, one of Jimmy’s sons. The two even went to the movies together, though Jimmy and Tom managed to intrude and ruin things. The movie was rated PG so there wasn’t any nudity or sex scenes. I really don’t remember any swearing, so if there was any, it was minimal.
I’m really not sure how long after the first movie Cheaper by the Dozen 2 was set. Charlie had been in high school in that movie, I think his senior year. He was going to college and working in this one and Lorraine had just graduated from high school. I think that people could see and enjoy this movie if they haven’t seen the first movie. There wasn’t any direct connection to the plot from the first movie. Jimmy made one or two references to the job that Tom had in that movie and the book Kate had written and that was really it. The Baker family really wasn’t that happy overall in the first movie thanks to Tom’s job change and moving to the city. The kids were mostly running wild and fighting with each other a lot. That didn’t seem to go on as much in this movie. The kids still acted up a little bit and had some disagreements with each other, but it was nothing like what happened in the first movie. The kids really were better behaved and less annoying. They seemed to bet along a lot better. Jimmy had eight kids that seemed to act perfect all the time. Jimmy was very strict and made it known that he thought Tom and Kate weren’t strict enough.
All of the Baker children were in Cheaper by the Dozen 2. It didn’t seem like any of them were featured that much or that developed. Some of them did seem to have much smaller parts than others. I think that Nora was actually around more than she was in the first movie, but she wasn’t doing much since she was pregnant. She was eating in just about every scene she was in and when she wasn’t actually eating, she was usually talking about food, so Piper Perabo really didn’t have much to do. Nora’s husband Bud was only in scenes with Nora. Charlie had a few scenes in which he was trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life and that was about it for him. The other times he was just shown as part of the group. I barely even remember seeing him around the house the Bakers were staying at. Tom Welling was fine in the part.
Lorraine had just graduated from high school and was ready to set off on her own with an internship at a magazine in New York City. It was never said if she would also be going to college or not. Lorraine was very anxious to get away from the family and wasn’t as enthused about the family vacation as some of the others. She tended to avoid the few activities that Tom managed to get them all to participate in. Hillary Duff was fine in the role. In the first movie, Mark was picked on by almost all of his siblings for some reason. That wasn’t going in this movie and since that sub plot was gone, I think he ended up with less to do.
Really the only other Baker child that stood out was Sarah and that was because she was going through her first crush. None of the other Baker kids really had much to do. All of the actors playing the kids were fine, though none were really memorable. The Murtaugh kids were shown even less. Eliot had a few more scenes since he and Sarah liked each other. Anne shared a scene or two with Charlie. Her dad always called her Superstar and put all kinds of pressure on her. Jamie King was fine in the part. I thought she looked familiar when I saw the movie, I just couldn’t think of who she was. Anne and Eliot were the only Murtaugh kids that received any sort of attention. The rest of them just all blended together for me.
Tom wasn’t a perfect father, but he did love his children. He went over board at times which did make him seem a bit nutty. Even though several of his children were still living at home, Tom wasn’t happy about Lorraine and Nora moving out of state. He came up with the idea of them going on a vacation to the lake and was disappointed when the kids wanted to spend more time with the Murtaugh kids. Tom became obsessed with beating the Murtaugh family in a competition. I think Steve Martin handled the part well without going over board. Kate didn’t have as much to do since it did seem like the movie was more focused on Tom. She had written a book in the first one, and at the end of that movie it did seem like she was continuing to write. That wasn’t carried into the new movie. Bonnie Hunt was very good in the part. I was disappointed that she didn’t have a bigger part. She and Martin were very believable as a married couple.
Jimmy Murtaugh and Tom had known each other for a long time and had a history of competing against each other. Jimmy also knew Kate, though he kept forgetting her name. Jimmy was very successful and built the huge house on the lake for his family. He was responsible for changes that had happened around the lake, like the club only allowing people who owned homes to join. Jimmy seemed to enjoy showing off. He was very strict with his children and didn’t realize how unhappy some of them were. Eugene Levy was very good in the part. Many people know him as Jim’s father in the American Pie movies. Jimmy was a very different sort of father. Levy and Martin had some funny exchanges. They were in Bringing Down the House together. Sarina was much younger than Jimmy and seemed to be just a trophy wife at first. She did end up being very concerned about her step children and their relationship with Jimmy. She got annoyed with Jimmy for what he was doing. It was never shown how the Murtaugh children felt about their step mother. Carmen Electra did a good job with the part.
Cast
Robbie Amell - Daniel Murtaugh
Jonathan Bennett - Bud
Alexander Conti - Kenneth Murtaugh
Hillary Duff - Lorraine Baker
Carmen Electra - Sarina Murtaugh
Courtney Fitzpatrick - Lisa Murtaugh
Madison Fitzpatrick - Robin Murtaugh
Bonnie Hunt - Kate Baker
Jamie King - Anne Murtaugh
Brent Kinsman - Nigel Baker
Shane Kinsman - Kyle Baker
Forrest Landis - Mark Baker
Taylor Lautner - Eliot Murtaugh
Eugene Levy - Jimmy Murtaugh
Steve Martin - Tom Baker
Liliana Mumy - Jessica Baker
Piper Perabo - Nora Baker
Shawn Roberts - Calvin Murtaugh
Kevin Schmidt - Henry Baker
Jacob Smith - Jake Baker
Alyson Stoner - Sarah Baker
Melanie Tonello - Becky Murtaugh
Tom Welling - Charlie Baker
Blake Woodruff - Mike Baker
Morgan York - Kim Baker
Adam Shankman - Director
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 had some silly moment but it was an entertaining movie. The movie is good for families though younger children may not be interested in it. The movie had some flaws, but it was still enjoyable.
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