Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (DVD)

As unnecessary sequels go, Cheaper by the Dozen 2 would probably be a title near the top of the list. The original, while a huge box office hit, wasn't exactly the most beloved movie ever made, and the thought of having to spend another couple of hours with the Bakers (Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt) and their twelve children was about as appealing to me as going to the dentist for a root canal.

Well, while this sequel is every bit as pointless as I'd expected it to be, it is also nowhere near as taxing on a person's sensibilities as I'd feared. In fact, it's rather charming from time to time, one of the kids (a wonderful 11-year-old actress named Alyson Stoner playing the Baker's prankish tomboy daughter Sarah) going through her first adolescent crush with surprising charm and admittedly funny grace. When I saw it back in December there was no way I could ever bring myself to recommend it, the film was nothing more than a 90-minute sitcom after all, but it isn't remotely awful. Heck, if a person happens to be in the right mood it's actually kind of fun, but just remember if you catch me out on the street I'm going to totally deny ever saying so.

This time out, the Baker family head out for a long summer camping trip in the mountains, probably their last as an entire family what with eldest daughter Nora (Piper Perabo) about to give birth, first son Charlie (Tom Welling) pondering leaving the big city for country life and the just-graduated Lorraine (Hilary Duff) about to jet off to New York for an internship. Once at the campgrounds, the usual shenanigans ensue, Dad going so far to renew a rivalry with camp neighbor Jimmy Murtaugh (Eugene Levy). All of it culminates in a series of competitive events resembling ones straight out of Meatballs, and if you're wondering what the outcome is going to be you obviously haven't seen enough sitcoms.

To the producers' credit, Cheaper by the Dozen 2 never degenerates into a bunch of slapstick sophomoric juvenilities like its far more frenetic predecessor did. While it's never subtle, director Adam Shankman shows far more restraint managing the goings on here than he ever did in his last Martin/Levy collaboration Bringing Down the House. It's silly and stupid, to be sure, and what can you really say about any film where Carmen Electra is the most appealing (and reasonable) adult presence other than it's aiming low and still managing to miss its mark. But children are going to love it, especially kids who lapped up the first one. Unlike that original, however, adults can sit through this without wincing too terribly, and if that's not a victory for the filmmakers I can't really call it a defeat, either.

Thankfully, 20th Century Fox keeps things pretty simple in regards to the movie's DVD. Widescreen and Full Screen versions are both available on the same disc, while the extras contained on both sides are brief, simple and to the point. There is the theatrical trailer, a look at upcoming Fox releases (Flicka and Aquamarine) and a few brief featurettes on the making of the film. There is also a rather engaging commentary by Shankman that's relatively worthwhile, if only to understand why it feels Duff and Welling were never actually on-set with the rest of the cast during filming.

Let's be clear, it isn't like Cheaper by the Dozen 2 is good. I'm not about to tell you or anyone else that. It's just not terrible. Not at all, and for parents looking for a benign diversion for their children there is plenty out there in the world far worse than this. While it is depressing to continue to see comedians like Martin, Levy and Hunt waste their talents, kids are aren't going to know that these three are all brilliant artists slumming their way through this sequel in order to pick up a cheap and easy paycheck.

Does that make it worth picking up? As purchase, good golly miss molly no. As a rental, however, I'm tempted to whisper a rather quiet, "why not," shrug my shoulders and not pass judgment on those feeling inclined to give it a shot in their DVD player.