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Release Date: December 21st, 2005 by Twentieth Century Fox. The Cast: Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Piper Perabo, Tom Welling, Hilary Duff, Kevin Schmidt, Alyson Stoner, Forrest Landis, Liliana Mumy, Morgan York, Blake Woodruff, Brent Kinsman, Carmen Electra, Alexander Conti, Jamie King, Eugene Levy, Taylor Lautner Directed by Adam Shankman. BASIC PREMISE: The 12-kid Baker family competes against the 8-kid Murtaugh family while vacationing in Lake Winnetka ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: This harmless sequel to the 2003 comedy hit certainly has minor flaws, but its energetic, colorful cast—young and old—will keep you wide awake. One of the flaws is the outrageous plot which includes Tom Baker (Martin) snooping on Jimmy Murtaugh (Levy) who lives in a big house with his eight children across the lake. Like children, they try to humiliate one another to see who’s better than the other—especially because Jimmy has always been jealous of him. Now he hopes that the table has turned. Jimmy’s ditzy wife Sarina is played by the sexy Carmen Electra, but, not surprisingly, she simply can’t act. On the other hand, Bonnie Hunt gives a warm, charming performance as Tom’s wife Kate. The juvenile, physical humor doesn’t always work, especially when it feels recycled. For example, one of the Baker children puts raw meat under a chair’s cushion for Jimmy to sit on. Instead, Tom sits on it and gets attacked by the hungry dog. Oh, and the dog also ends up humping Sarina at one point. There’s an interesting subplot involved Sarah Baker (Stoner) dating Eliot Murtaugh (Lautner—who you might remember as Sharkboy from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl ), which obviously worries both Tom and Jimmy. They follow Sarah and Eliot to the movies where they watch their every move—including the classic “arm around the shoulder” move, which Tom and Jimmy hilariously mimic as if they were lovers. Although the plot has no surprises and tends to feel redundant, it’s refreshing that screenwriter Sam Harper doesn’t rely on gross-out bathroom humor as a means of entertainment. Eugene Levy is a riot, as usual—but a tiny little mouse does steal the show just like the penguins did in Madagascar . SPIRITUAL VALUE: None is required or desired. INSULT TO YOUR INTELLIGENCE: Redundant, juvenile humor. NUMBER OF TIMES I CHECKED MY WATCH: 1 THE BOTTOM LINE: A mildly entertaining sequel with too many juvenile jokes. Instantly forgettable, but it’s all harmless fun—as long as you don’t set the bar too high. RECOMMENDED WAY TO WATCH: Movie Theater (2nd Run) Main Page Alphabetical Menu The "C" Menu ______________________________________________________ |
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