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"CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN 2" (2005) (Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt) (PG) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Minor *Heavy Minor Minor Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None Minor None Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate None Moderate Moderate Mild QUICK TAKE: Comedy: While vacationing with his large family, a father stoops to the level of his childhood acquaintance as both try to outdo the other in most every competitive way imaginable. PLOT: It's been two years since Tom (STEVE MARTIN) and Kate Baker (BONNIE HUNT) moved their family to Chicago and their kids are getting older, much to the dismay of Tom. Oldest daughter Nora (PIPER PERABO) is pregnant and she and husband Bud (JONATHAN BENNETT) are about to move to Houston. Oldest son Charlie (TOM WELLING) is working as a mechanic, while Lorraine (HILARY DUFF) has just graduated and is headed off to New York for an internship at a fashion magazine. Sarah (ALYSON STONER) is still a tomboy, but her newfound interest in boys means those days are numbered. Meanwhile, the rest of the kids -- Mark (FORREST LANDIS), Jake (JACOB SMITH), Henry (KEVIN G. SCHMIDT), Kim (MORGAN YORK), Jessica (LILIANA MUMY), Mike (BLAKE WOODRUFF) and twins Nigel and Kyle (BRENT & SHANE KINSMAN) -- are all getting older and don't need their parents quite as much as they once did. Accordingly, Tom thinks it would be a good idea for them to head for Lake Winnetka, Wisconsin -- one last time as a complete family -- for some end of the summer vacation. When they arrive, they find that their favorite rustic cabin is more rundown than they remember, especially when compared to the elaborate lake-front mansion owned by Jimmy Murtaugh (EUGENE LEVY). He and Tom grew up together, and their competitive ways resume right where they left off. Jimmy is married to wife number three -- the much younger Sarina (CARMEN ELECTRA) -- and also has a large number of kids. They include teenager Anne (JAMIE KING), who thinks her dad's highly disciplined ways are stifling her, and eighth-grader Eliot (TAYLOR LAUTNER) who takes a liking to Sarah. With Jimmy trying to impress, better and defeat Tom any way he can, that only brings Tom down to his level, all leading to a big family competition between them. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they liked the original film, it's a good bet they will. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG For some crude humor and mild language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: STEVE MARTIN plays the Baker patriarch who feels his family is spreading itself thin and misses the days when they were a more tightly knit unit. When not being ultra competitive with Jimmy, he spies on Sarah on her date with Jimmy's son. BONNIE HUNT plays his wife, the mother of 12 who has to put up with his competitive ways with Jimmy and Sarah's awkward transition into young womanhood. EUGENE LEVY plays Tom's childhood acquaintance who's done quite well for himself, but becomes ultra-competitive with him when not holding a tight reign over his kids that turns out to be suffocating them. CARMEN ELECTRA plays his third wife who initially seems to be of just the trophy variety, but she befriends Kate and eventually stands up to Jimmy's behavior. PIPER PERABO plays the oldest Baker daughter who's now married, pregnant and preparing to move away with her husband. TOM WELLING plays the oldest Baker son who isn't sure what to do with his life and finds himself attracted to Anne. HILARY DUFF plays the recent high school graduate who's headed off to NYC for an internship and doesn't really fit in with the rest of the family. Although she initially puts down Sarah, she eventually helps her with makeup, etc. ALYSON STONER plays the girl torn between her tomboy nature and believing she needs to be more like a young woman to attract Eliot. TAYLOR LAUTNER plays Jimmy's eighth-grade son who's shown an interest in Sarah. JAMIE KING plays his teenage sister who isn't happy with her dad's totalitarian ways of fathering them and secretly sports a tattoo that she doesn't dare show him. She eventually stands up to him. BRENT & SHANE KINSMAN play the youngest kids, two mischievous twins. JACOB SMITH, FORREST LANDIS, KEVIN G. SCHMIDT, MORGAN YORK, LILIANA MUMY and BLAKE WOODRUFF play the rest of the kids in the family. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this comedy that's been rated PG. Various religious-based and colorful phrases are uttered, while some non-explicit, sexually related dialogue is present. Various women are seen in revealing attire (including some small bathing suits as well as clothing that shows lots of cleavage). Comedy style violence (mostly of the slapstick variety, including a man falling and landing on his crotch) is present, as are various bad attitudes (mostly played for comedy) and behavior and actions that might be enticing for some kids to try to imitate. Some tense family material involves overbearing fathers leading to their kids being disappointed in them, while various characters drink and several instances of crude humor are present. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Some people toast Lorraine's graduation with what looks like champagne. Kate then orders a beer and white wine from the bartender, giving the wine to Bud and the beer to Tom. Miscellaneous people have drinks at a reception. Tom and Kate have wine, with Jimmy joking for Tom to buy him a drink. Later, Tom and Kate have more wine, Sarina has a drink and Jimmy orders another scotch. Jimmy invites Tom and his family over for a buffet, stating they'll have mimosas at noon. Tom brings a bottle of champagne over to Jimmy's house. Jimmy looks down on it, and tells Sarina to get something better from their collection. Kate has a beer and Tom some wine, while Jimmy and his wife have drinks. Miscellaneous people have drinks. BLOOD/GORE Crude humor includes the following: One of the twins tries an appetizer at a wedding reception, doesn't like the taste and spits it out onto the serving tray. A man then unknowingly picks up that appetizer and eats it. One of the kids asks "Who cut the cheese" in the car and various kids then react to the smell of an unheard fart. At the locked bathroom door, one of the sisters says that Nora has to urinate. When that doesn't work, Nora says "I'll pee outside" (but we don't see that happen). Trying to find their way out of the woods and to the road, one of Jimmy's kids says they'll follow a scat trail. When one of Tom's kids doesn't know what that means, he's told it's another word for "poo" and that kid then says, "Cool, we're trailing poo." DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Most of the following is played for laughs. Jimmy is a highly competitive man who alternates between wanting to impress Tom with his wealth and belongings (including name dropping), and needing to be better than him at everything. That then causes Tom to be competitive with him. One of the girls pushes her brother off his skateboard. About Sarah being a tomboy, Lorraine responds to her, "Whatever, butch" (but she later helps her with her makeup, etc.). Tom brings a bottle of champagne over to Jimmy's house. Jimmy looks down on it, and tells Sarina to get something better from their collection. Needing to make Jimmy look bad, Tom hires Sarah to do something bad to him, freeing her of any potential repercussions when she negotiates the latter. Her action is putting raw meat into a seat cushion and letting the family dog loose on it. Sarah tries to shoplift some makeup from a store, but is caught (she does so because she feels she needs to start using it, but is embarrassed and thus doesn't want anyone to know, even those at the store). Two of the kids drive a golf cart through a fence, over a tennis net and crash into another fence. Jimmy tells Tom that the latter's kids are undisciplined. Tom and Jimmy separately spy on Elliot and Sarah on their date (by watching them from the balcony). The two then get competitive again and make enough of a scene to annoy other moviegoers. As Tom shows Jimmy "the move" (when a guy acts like he's stretching so that he can put his arm around his date) in a movie theater, various moviegoers act disgusted toward them (thinking they're gay). About the contest with the Bakers, Jimmy says their game plan is that they're going to press down on their throats and not stop until they stop breathing. FRIGHTENING SCENES For those afraid of them, we occasionally see a pack rat in the house, but it's always played for comedy as it grabs various things and races back to its hole in the wall. Tom and Jimmy end up poking each other in a movie theater balcony, resulting in Jimmy knocking Tom over the edge and then catching him by his feet (played for laughs). While in the middle of a canoeing race, pregnant Nora's water breaks (we don't see anything) and everyone then races to get her to shore, then a road and then to the hospital (all played lightly and everything turns out fine). GUNS/WEAPONS A starter pistol is fired to start a canoeing race. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "(Later) Dude," "Who cut the cheese?" "I guess the Gucci loafers are on the other foot now," "What a moron," "Whatever, butch" (what Lorraine says to Sarah for being a tomboy), "Lame," "Sweet," "Smells like global warming," "You're so stupid," "Don't be a wimp," "Screw-ups," "Screwed up," "Lay off," "Hubba-hubba," "That's so big brother," "Gonna watch us kick some heinee?" "You just pissed off a severely hormonal woman" and "Cool, we're trailing poo." One of the twins tries an appetizer at a wedding reception, doesn't like the taste and spits it out onto the serving tray. A man then unknowingly picks up that appetizer and eats it. A firecracker is thrown into the fireplace where it explodes and leaves black soot all over the twins' faces. Jimmy is a highly competitive man who alternates between wanting to impress Tom with his wealth and belongings (including name dropping), and needing to be better than him at everything. That then causes Tom to be competitive with him. A backpack full of fireworks is set too close to a chafing dish, causing the former to catch on fire, thus setting off the fireworks in the middle of a cocktail reception. Nigel pulls down Kyle's pants and we see the latter in his boxers (he's a kid). Sarah spits to fit in/try to impress some of Jimmy's boys. We see the butterfly tattoo on the small of Anne's back as her shirt rides up a little bit (and Charlie stares there). The twins open their mouths with food in them. The kids put raw meat in an outdoor seat cushion so that their dog will smell and then go after it, thus causing chaos. Sarah tries to shoplift some makeup from a store, but is caught (she does so because she feels she needs to start using it, but is embarrassed and thus doesn't want anyone to know, even those at the store). JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A comedy bit has the theme music from "Jaws" playing as Tom and Jimmy wonder where the Baker's dog is (all played for laughs). MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 8 uses of "Oh my God" and 1 use each of "Oh God" and "Oh sweet Jesus." SEX/NUDITY Kate states that they say starting a family is optimistic. Referring to the size of her family, she says that obviously they were very optimistic (which may or may not have sexual connotations). Kate shows a little cleavage. While looking at photos of their vacations at the lake house, Kate reminds Tom that they had "alone time" and then points to the photos of their kids (that we don't see) stating "And there's the proof." When the twins ask why their middle names are the same as the lake, Kate tells them they were conceived at that lake. They don't know what that means, prompting an older sister to start to say "That's when mom and dad had..." with Bonnie Hunt quickly chiming in "A conversation." Sarina show a lot of cleavage throughout the film in various low-cut and/or revealing outfits. Nigel pulls down Kyle's pants and we see the latter in his boxers (he's a kid). Charlie watches Anne (Jimmy's teenage daughter) swimming in the lake in a bikini, with the camera focusing on the small of her back (thus her bikini-covered butt is also in the shot). We briefly see Sarina in a very small bikini that shows a lot of skin and cleavage. Sarina shows a lot of cleavage again in a low-cut top. She welcomes Tom to their lake mansion (named Boulders) by saying "Welcome to boulders," with Tom looking at her chest. Later, we see the Baker's dog humping her leg. Liquid is accidentally spilled on the front of Kate, soaking her shirt and causing her to joke that it's like spring break again (we can see the shape of her breasts, but no details as she's wearing a bra beneath the clingy shirt). Later, we see Kate in a low-cut top (borrowed from Sarina) that reads "Hot mama." Seeing that, Tom jokingly asks where she's been all of his life. Seeing Tom lying stiffly in bed in a wetsuit (with no sexual intentions at all), Kate walks in and jokes that she'll go put on a little perfume. We see Anne in a form-fitting, one-piece bathing suit that shows cleavage and the shape of her nipples under the fabric. We see partial views of Nora's bare, pregnant belly several times. Kate shows a little cleavage in her nightgown. Tom talks about adolescent boys, saying they have raging hormones (said to Jimmy about his son being on a date with Sarah), adding that such boys are just one step above apes. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Tom laments that his kids are growing up and their family is growing apart. Bud and Nora aren't happy that Tom keeps referring to their unborn child as a future linebacker. Sarah is upset with her dad for something he said. Nora complains to Tom that this could be their (the family's) last time together and that he's ruining it. All of Tom's kids are disappointed in him spying on Sarah on her date. Anne confronts her dad and says that this isn't her life, it's his. She then jumps off their canoe, followed by many of her siblings who are similarly upset with their father. We hear that Sarina is Jimmy's third wife. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Tom laments that his kids are growing up and their family is growing apart. Jimmy is a highly competitive man who alternates between wanting to impress Tom with his wealth and belongings (including name dropping), and needing to be better than him at everything. That then causes Tom to be competitive with him. Sarah tries to shoplift some makeup from a store, but is caught (she does so because she feels she needs to start using it, but is embarrassed and thus doesn't want anyone to know, even those at the store). Tom talks about adolescent boys, saying they have raging hormones (said to Jimmy about his son being on a date with Sarah), adding that such boys are just one step above apes. We hear that Sarina is Jimmy's third wife. Parenting and how no way is one-hundred percent right. Kate tells Sarah not to behave differently for boys. The sexual references that occur in the film. Pregnancy, labor and such. VIOLENCE One of the girls pushes her brother off his skateboard. A backpack full of fireworks is set too close to a chafing dish, causing the former to catch on fire, thus setting off the fireworks in the middle of a cocktail reception. Fireworks shoot everywhere, causing an older man in a wheelchair to roll down into a body of water, while Mark throws the burning backpack toward the water, but it lands in a dingy that explodes, with its outboard engine flying through the air and then landing on a buffet table (all played for slapstick style laughs). Charlie falls off a dock and into the lake while watching Anne in a bikini. Tom falls hard to the ground when his tire swing breaks (but he's okay). Smelling meat in a seat cushion put there by the kids, the Bakers' dog creates all sorts of chaos on the patio, knocking over both Tom and Jimmy, breaking many plates and glassware and finally knocking both Tom and Jimmy over the railing and into the lake below them. While knee-boarding (water skiing as done by kneeling on a board), Tom wipes out but doesn't let go of the rope, thus being pulled through the water (played for laughs). Moments later, he ends up falling through a hole that forms in the dock as he's walking across it. Two of the kids drive a golf cart through a fence, over a tennis net and crash into another fence. Sarina accidentally runs her grocery cart into a stand and various jars break. Tom and Jimmy end up poking each other in a movie theater balcony, resulting in Jimmy knocking Tom over the edge and then catching him by his feet (played for laughs). Trying to hit the rat as it races back toward its hole in the wall, two kids throw a football and skateboard at it, breaking part of the wall. Jimmy and Tom compete in one of those log spinning contests (where they're standing on a log -- or pipe in this case -- in a body of water where it spins freely). In the end, Tom slips and lands hard on the log/pipe on his crotch. A starter pistol is fired to start a canoeing race that somehow causes the same old man in a wheelchair to fall into the lake. When Bud looks like he's losing it (about Nora being in labor), Lorraine slaps him to make him regain his composure. During the end credits, the Baker's dog knocks Sarina down a hill (played for laughs as she tumbles several times). Reviewed December 12, 2005 / Posted December 21, 2005

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