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BY TOM MEEK
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93 MINUTES | OPENED DECEMBER 21 | APPLE VALLEY + ENTERTAINMENT + FLAGSHIP + PROVIDENCE PLACE 16 + SHOWCASE This sequel to a remake, all based on a book about the challenges of steering a large brood, tries to multiply the comic effect by tossing in the Murtaughs’ groomed-for-success eight with the Bakers’ live-and-let-live 12. For the most part, director Adam Shankman keeps the mayhem comprehensible. The mishmash occurs over Labor Day weekend, on a quiet resort lake in Wisconsin. The Murtaughs have a palatial lakefront spread; the Bakers are crammed into a musty cabin. What ensues is a dick-waving contest between the two prideful patriarchs and a Meatballs-esque run-off of clans. Eugene Levy as Jimmy Murtaugh (with a surprisingly good Carmen Electra as his hot young thang) is the perfect foil for Steve Martin’s Tom Baker. Alyson Stoner comes into her own as the tomboyish Sarah Baker, who’s anxious about her first crush. Bonnie Hunt provides the matriarchal backbone, and former tween queen Hilary Duff lounges around like an unwanted side of cauliflower.
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