As if the 2003 original wasn't endurance test enough, the sequel further cheapens the talents of Steve Martin, reprising his role as a football coach trying to cope with his wife (Bonnie Hunt) and their brood of twelve. Even Hilary Duff, as an older daughter, looks embarrassed to be in this tripe. There's something pernicious about a toxic mix of sitcom and snickering sex jokes getting packaged and effectively sold as wholesome fun for the family.

So as not to potentially utilize even one of its viewers' brain cells, Cheaper by the Dozen 2 needs minimal exposition before allowing physical hijinks to set in. After the—you guessed it—12-strong Baker family worries of growing apart, the patriarch, Tom (Steve Martin), orders a mandatory family trip to their rustic vacation home in Wisconsin. It's there that the Griswalds, er, Bakers meet up with old rivals the Murtaugh family (of eight), led by uber-competitive Jimmy (Eugene Levy) and his…