Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005)

Director:

Adam Shankman

Writers (WGA):

Sam Harper (written by)
Craig Titley (characters)

Release Date:

21 December 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Family

Tagline:

This Christmas, you better watch out!

Plot:

Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt return as heads of the Baker family who, while on vacation, find themselves in competition with a rival family of eight children, headed by Eugene Levy |

Plot Keywords:

Chicago Illinois | Father Son Relationship | Fart Scene | Fart Joke | Fart

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Steve Martin	...	Tom Baker
Eugene Levy	...	Jimmy Murtaugh
Bonnie Hunt	...	Kate Baker
Tom Welling	...	Charlie Baker
Piper Perabo	...	Nora Baker-McNulty
Carmen Electra	...	Sarina Murtaugh
Jaime King	...	Anne Murtaugh
Hilary Duff	...	Lorraine Baker
Taylor Lautner	...	Eliot Murtaugh
Alyson Stoner	...	Sarah Baker
Jonathan Bennett	...	Bud McNulty
Jacob Smith	...	Jake Baker
Liliana Mumy	...	Jessica Baker
Morgan York	...	Kim Baker
Kevin Schmidt	...	Henry Baker (as Kevin G. Schmidt)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some crude humor and mild language.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | South Korea:All | Iceland:L | UK:PG | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Ireland:PG | Brazil:Livre | Malaysia:U | Australia:G (re-rating on appeal) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Singapore:PG | USA:PG (certificate #42232) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | France:U

Filming Locations:

Aurora, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Events in the Labor Day Cup included: the Egg Toss, Wheelbarrow Race, Diving, Sack Race, Archery, Egg and Spoon Race, Water Treadmill, Volleyball, and the Tie-breaker Canoe Race. Not seen, but shown on the scoreboard were: Tug-O-War, Baseball Dunk, and Water Skiing.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the contest at the end, each family's score is displayed on a large board. When the tie-breaker is being discussed, the scores are gone. When the group leaves for the canoe race, the scores have returned.

Quotes:

Tom Baker: What do you do for a living Eliot?
Eliot: Well... I'm in 8th grade.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Jaws (1975)

Soundtrack:

Music from 'Ice Age'

A family comedy series that really stands out

Cheaper by the Dozen II, like most sequels, wasn't as good as its predecessor but was a safe movie bet, allowing you to fall back into a familiarity of the first and have some more fun with it. It picks up a couple years after the first installment with changes abound as the oldest daughter is now married and pregnant and with everyone growing up, the Bakers plan to vacation one last time at their old summer nesting grounds before sending off newly graduated Lurraine (Hillary Duff) to New York. Ashton Kutcher's out of the picture, while Eugene Levy enters the scene as Steve Martin's rival, providing some decent comic relief. Knowing full-well, they can't focus on all twelve kids, Tom Welling's newfound romance and rebelliousness are underdeveloped, while the unfortunate mistake is made of shifting the focus to Hillary Duff's character. Duff basically plays a caricature of herself (or at least her public image) as a teenage diva, who only worked in the first movie because she was distilled in small doses. There's also a side story with one of the younger siblings having her first crush. Like the first film, this installment relies on Martin's physical comedy for laughs with some very relatable moments along the way and in the end, the family wins out over all other forces.