Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and baby Tom leave for Houston a few days later while the Bakers continue their vacation at Lake Winnetka. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes ranked "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" 98th in the 100 worst reviewed films of the 2000s, with a rating of 6% based on 93 reviews of the film. The site's consensus reads " A sequel to a remake, "Cheaper 2" wastes its solid cast in scenes of over-the-top, predictable humor". On Metacritic, it has a score of 34 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". "Chicago Sun-Times" critic Roger Ebert, gave the
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 was also kind to Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt and Eugene Levy, deeming the veteran actors did the best with what was given to them. Marrit Ingman of the "Austin Chronicle" conceded that it had a good message, and agreed that Hunt was "marvelous and down-to-earth" but ultimately felt that "the rest of the movie is as funny as mildew", found that "the product placement is particularly egregious" and thought that Hilary Duff looked "as tanned and raw as buffalo jerky". Andrea Gronvall was also horrified by Duff's appearance while writing for the "Chicago Reader", calling her "haggard" and "flat-out scary",