Cheaper by the Dozen 2

Directed by Adam Shankman, Cheaper by the Dozen 2 follows the Baker family, including Steve Martin’s Tom, Bonnie Hunt’s Kate, and Piper Perabo’s Nora, as they agree to compete against a rival family (led by Eugene Levy’s Jimmy Murtaugh) during their summer vacation. Filmmaker Shankman, armed with a script by Sam Harper, delivers a sequel that does, for the most part, fall right in line with its watchable yet unspectacular predecessor, although it’s clear that Cheaper by the Dozen 2 ultimately fares just a little better than 2003’s Cheaper by the Dozen – with the movie benefiting from an episodic, sitcom-like narrative that is, more often than not, far more amusing than one might’ve initially anticipated. (It doesn’t hurt, either, that the movie boasts personable work from an all-star roster of performers, with Martin and Levy’s predictably compelling efforts remaining an ongoing highlight within the proceedings.) And while the picture vanishes from one’s memory practically before it’s even ended, Cheaper by the Dozen 2 nevertheless comes off as a passable-enough endeavor that earns its place as a feel-good family comedy.

**1/2 out of ****