- Take a pot shot but be warned.

Steve Martin transforms his goofy persona to straight-as-arrows, effectively chameleon as the father of twelve in the sequel to Cheaper by the Dozen. Martin’s turns in parentage roles (Parenthood, Father of the Bride) were successful attempts at reinventing Martin paternally. But if you expect him to be at his uninhibited best, such as in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Little Shop of Horrors, to name two, then Cheaper by the Dozen 2 won’t offer that.

In this sequel to the 2003 family hit, Martin’s Tom Baker rubs shoulders with childhood nemesis (Eugene Levy) who has always competed with him until Levy’s character gets a bigger house and a heftier pay packet. During summer vacation the two fathers catch up and clash, while their families look on and do their own thing.

Sweet and sentimental, with an attractive pack of kids, its laughs come from Martin and Levy sparring with one another’s egos, but fails in rehashing familiar situations – dogs ruining table tops, kids getting into trouble and disturbing the peace, and the nuisance animal in the cabin, to name some.

A wholesome movie with a moral, Cheaper by the Dozen 2 is slight entertainment, like its predecessor.