Family vacations are rarely as peaceful as they appear in the brochure. They are often survival training. This is especially true of Tom Baker and Kate Baker. A couple played by Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt take a large group of 12 children on a trip. Issue? They scream, pout, and absolutely resist the idea of being around their siblings or their “embarrassing dad.”
They just want to avoid each other.
But there’s a problem.
Jimmy Murtaugh lived next door. Eugene Levy plays Tom’s longtime nemesis. Murtagh has eight perfect, successful children of his own. Competition is inevitable. The Baker family form an impromptu alliance to prove to their neighbors that their family’s chaos is better. It was a tournament of great unity. It was a disaster.
The film is a modern comedy rooted in ancient family traditions. It offers humor through pure horror. Kitchen disasters abound. It captures the essence of a crazy holiday where everything goes wrong.
For those looking to relive the stress, this DVD was released on August 22, 2006. This DVD remains a great example of the “Big Family” subgenre. It’s a simple question: can you really get together in a room full of screaming kids, or will competing with your neighbors destroy that little bit of togetherness?
The answer is likely messy. And it’s fun. And it’s noisy.
