I laughed out loud at some of the funny moments in this film. When Tom Baker (Steve Martin) gives a eulogy near the end of the film for a family frog which just passed on to that great lilypad in the sky, it is hilarious. The premise of the film is that Baker is offered a coaching job for a top division school but the family will have to move. They reluctantly do so and shortly afterwards Tom’s wife Kate (Bonnie Hunt) has her first book published, and she has to travel to New York for a book tour. This leaves the family in the hands of an overwhelmed Tom Baker. Managing twelve kids would be a tough job anytime, but in this case it is nearly impossible as Tom splits his time between his football team and the kids.
This movie is family friendly with just one crude word uttered during, of all times, the credits. There is a conflict about Nora’s boyfriend spending the night in her room with her, but Tom points out, “This is a G-Rated house, and that’s not permitted here.” There are plenty of funny moments in this film and it is recommended for the entire family. It should be noted that Tom Welling, of “Smallville” fame, does a great job playing the eldest son.