Cheaper By the Dozen 2
The best performance in Cheaper by the Dozen 2 is by an actress you've probably never heard of: 11-year-old Alyson Stoner, who plays Sarah, one of twelve children of Tom and Kate Baker (Steve Martin, Bowfinger, and Bonnie Hunt, Return to Me). The movie follows the popular clan of the previous remake of Cheaper by the Dozen as they go to a camp in the mountains, where Tom renews his rivalry with Jimmy Murtaugh (Eugene Levy, Bringing Down the House). To the movie's credit, it doesn't quite degenerate into a National Lampoon's Vacation knock-off, though it comes perilously close. But thanks to the grace of Bonnie Hunt and general good spirits of the cast of kids (including Tom Welling, Smallville; Hilary Duff, The Perfect Man, who in some scenes becomes uncomfortably Lolita-esque; and Piper Perabo, Coyote Ugly, among others), this unnecessary sequel manages to remain enjoyable to anyone with a taste for broad family movies. But Stoner--as a tomboy getting her first crush--brings considerable charisma to her generically-written part, and her scenes give the movie a much-needed emotional lift. Otherwise, it's a movie in which Carmen Electra plays the voice of reason (in a series of tight-fitting tops). --Bret Fetzer
