Although his comic powers aren't what they once were, Steve Martin has enjoyed a box office resurgence of late.

Last year's Bringing Down The House topped the US charts, and this cheerful, sentimental, forgettable little comedy recently passed the $100m-mark.

He plays Tom Baker, coach of a small-town college's gridiron team and father of 12. That's right, 12. Mothering this brood is obviously a full-time job for his wife Kate (the terrific Hunt), but she's still found time to write a book about it.

They live in happy chaos until Tom is offered his dream coaching job in the big city. The kids aren't thrilled about being uprooted; especially to a new home in the middle of America's dullest suburb, where the schools all suck.

But Tom's problems really begin when Kate goes on a national tour to promote her book and he's left to run two teams: one on the field and one at home.

With little invention and even less subtlety, director Levy piles on the slapstick and hammers home his family values with an annoyingly pious undertone, suggesting that there's something wrong with anyone who isn't a martyr to kith and kin.

The uptight neighbours have but one child, and he's a freak. And Ashton Kutcher (uncredited - is he that big a star now?) plays a boyfriend who doesn't like or want kids, so they make him into a shallow, self-absorbed moron.

Though it's nicely cast (astutely pandering to the teen audience with TV pin-ups Tom Welling - of Smallville - and Lizzie McGuire star Hilary Duff), we've seen all the characters and set-ups many times before. But hey, if it ain't broke...

Elliott Noble