- 14-year-old Jamie goes to desperate lengths to get attention when her mother gives birth to quintuplets.
- Jamie Grover's parents are always around not letting her have ANY space. She wishes for just a couple of days without their constant attention. She gets her wish when her mother has quintuplets. Being the first in their state, they become famous, and her parents get caught up in the fame and she must bring them back to reality.—Sarah <thefluffprincess@yahoo.com>
- Peppered with wry observations on the past 18-months in her parents' household, Jamie Grover (Kimberly J. Brown) tells her story about sibling rivalry with a twist. In 13-year-old's Jamie's world, her parents dote on her constantly, and -- as an only child -- she wishes she wasn't always the center of attention. Her dad Jim (Daniel Roebuck) struggles to get promoted at the neighborhood hardware store by taking night classes. Her scatterbrained mom Nancy (Elizabeth Morehead) is the editor of the Milford community paper (and often includes Jamie's latest activities as a feature article). At Milford Middle School, Jamie pals around with brainiac Brad and artsy Zoe (Shadia Simmons), often complaining about her parents' latest plans for her. The Grovers ardently want her to attend George Washington Science Magnet School in the fall, a feat Jamie feels may be out of her reach. But all of her Jamie-centric woes may quickly be mute, as her parents drop a bombshell: quite unexpectedly, Nancy is pregnant with quintuplets - that's five, count 'em, FIVE babies. Relieved at first that she'll be sharing the focus of her parents' "plans" with five more kids, Jamie helps them prepare for the upcoming arrivals by preparing a nursery and readying the house. When the Quints are delivered, mayhem quickly engulfs the Grover household, as baby screams constantly echo through the halls. Obviously, keeping five babies on any sort of routine seems impossible. Worse, Jim is often absent working overtime to help pay for diapers and, he hopes, Jamie's upcoming enrollment at the Magnet School. Desperate for help despite the financial strain, the Grovers hire an Irish caregiver, Fiona. Fiona intends to synchronize the Quints for eating, sleeping and everything else. But Jamie is put off by the live-in helper's referring to them as numbers one through five, rather than their names: Adam, Becky, Charlie, Debbie and Eddie. At school, Jamie, less than proud of her current science grades, finds herself drawn to art classes after Zoe's teacher, Mr. Blackmer, encourages her to participate in the art club. A reluctant artist, Jamie nonetheless welcomes any respite from baby screams and Fiona's domineering ways. And surprisingly, despite the fact that "art" goes against everything her parents have planned for her, Jamie learns that she not only likes it... her talent for drawing is blossoming. Back at the house, Fiona completely dissolves one day having been unable to organize the Quints to her satisfaction, and decides she can't tolerate their crying and diapering any longer. At a loss, Nancy insists they'll hire 'round-the-clock sitters -- though they can't afford it. Just when the situation seems at its worst, crates of diapers show up on the Grovers' lawn, and a startling offer is made. The Cutie Pants diaper company wants the Quints to be national "spokesbabies" and assigns a company representative, Albert, to be the family's handler. Elated for the extra income -- and the diapers -- that the deal will bring, Jim and Nancy quickly sign on the dotted line. Meanwhile, slick and overbearing Albert takes Jamie aside to make sure she understands the "importance" of her blending into the family background because the Quints will need all the attention to themselves for the campaign to succeed. This situation suits Jamie fine as she's avoided sharing details about her growing interest in art -- or anything about school and life -- with her increasingly overburdened and distracted parents. However, Jamie has been spending much of the time on her favorite charcoal and acrylic subjects: the Quints. As Jim and Nancy become more and more immersed in the Cutie Pants advertising and publicity campaign, Jamie becomes increasingly worried that the Quints are losing the separate personalities she sees so well. At one point, she sits down with her parents and relays her concerns, and they agree to be better at recognizing each Quint's individuality. But her parents really incur Jamie's wrath when they miss a parent-teacher conference -- a date they never would have forgotten about before the Quints arrived. Eager to makeup for their snafu and have Jamie feel more a part of the family, they encourage her to appear alongside the Quints in a commercial. However, at the commercial shoot, Jamie refuses to go before the cameras dressed in the huge diaper Albert has deemed appropriate. Sensing Jamie's frustration, Zoe and Brad encourage Jamie to talk to her parents, and let them know what's been happening at school with her art, and how she feels left out of the family. Soon after, Jamie learns from Mr. Blackmer that she is getting a big boost as an artist, having been selected to showcase her work at the school's art festival. Psyched about the news, Jamie tells her parents, who are ecstatic and look forward to the event on an upcoming Saturday night. But then, Albert gives the Grovers' some other news: he's arranged for them to be honored at the Governor's banquet as "Parents of the Year." Overjoyed, the flabbergasted parents unwittingly agree, not realizing the event is the same night as Jamie's art ceremony. A furious and tearful Jamie charges into the middle school and begins tearing up her portfolio of paintings, but Mr. Blackmer stops her just in time to save some of them. With Zoe and Brad standing by, Jamie spills her frustration about the Governor's banquet being the same evening as the art show. Willing to keep the date of conflict a secret, Jamie spirals down into a funk at school and at home for the next few weeks. Then, one day at school, her parents suddenly pull her out of class. Brought to the hospital, she learns Adam's temperature spiked, and he needed to be rushed to the emergency room. Upset, Jamie finally confides in her parents how sad and confused she's been, and how she wants her own plan in life. In her revealing, she still keeps the art show date a secret. As the three of them look on at Adam -- who will be better in a couple of weeks -- the parents and former only child bond over the new family they've become. Shortly afterward, Albert makes an appearance, though not really out of concern for Adam. The overbearing Albert suggests that, to save the quints' current campaign, they should find a substitute for Adam until he gets better. Appalled at his gall to replace one of their children so easily, Jim and Nancy fire Albert. Having decided to forego the art show, Jamie tells her parents she'll babysit with Zoe and Brad while they attend the banquet. However, when Jim and Nancy arrive at the black tie affair, Governor Healey (Don Knotts) demands to know where the Quints are. At the same time, back at the house, Jamie notices that the invitation was addressed to both parents and quintuplets. Eager to help out her parents, Jamie corrals Zoe and Brad -- and driver Mr. Blackmer -- to take the Quints to the event. But once on the road, Mr. Blackner's van breaks down. From there, Jamie, Zoe and Brad board two buses and then a subway filled with bikers. Meanwhile, the governor has sent out his state troopers to get the Quints as well. In the midst of the banquet, Jamie, Zoe and Brad -- accompanied by the bikers who now escort them for safety -- arrive with Quints in tow. The elated governor, who has desperately wanted a picture with the Quints, tells Jamie he'll have a driver take them anywhere they'd like to go. Grateful, Jamie, Zoe and Brad leave to attend the art show. At the show, Jamie is named art student of the year just as... her parents show up with the governor. Having realized where she was headed, Jim and Nancy say they wouldn't have qualified for "Parents of the Year" if they hadn't attended an event that meant so much to her.
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