Neddy Merrill
Ice Cube (maybe time to drop that moniker) stray a long way from Compton in this inoffensive suburban family comedy that borrows liberally from the Tom Hanks / Shelly Long stinker "Money Pit". Note to the various credited screenwriters, if you are going to crib pick a decent film to do it from. Anyway, our sports-obsessed step-dad hero tangles with one of the more frightening friendly characters in a light comedy played by the distracting-ly athletic John C. McGinley. McGinley's character controls the local real estate market, government and contractors effectively seizing control of Cube's life, breaking up his marriage, imprisoning him, delivering his baby and reuniting his family but on his terms. Take out the half-hearted pratfalls by Cube and his low wattage comic meltdowns and you have yourself an eerie stalker flick. Maybe one of the writers threw in a little "Single White Female" as well. In short, the movie does follow a familiar arc and there's just enough goofiness to avoid being really awful.
Julie Kinnear
If you've ever seen one of Ice Cube's films before, you know what to expect when sitting down to watch ARE WE DONE YET? Delinquent behaviour, silliness galore, a touch of potty humour and lots of rap music. Well, we can't fault Ice Cube for the latter since he was one of the biggest rappers of the 1990s, but the kind of humour found in his films is quickly becoming stale now, and his hijinks don't seem as funny as they did back when I was growing up in the 90s grunge era.ARE WE DONE YET? is a sequel to the 2005 comedy ARE WE THERE YET? and some Hollywood execs even claim that it is a remake of the classic MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE (1948) which we have reviewed here in the past. Personally, I find that a little hard to swallow but there are definite signs of this modern comedy being influenced by the likes of the beloved classic Hollywood film starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. I think it's just incredibly difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that movie audiences have been told to expect comparisons between this film and its classic predecessor.Produced by Revolution Studios, RKO Pictures, and Cube Vision, ARE WE DONE YET? starts where ARE WE THERE YET? left off: Nicholas "Nick" Persons (Ice Cube) has married Suzanne Kingston (Nia Long) and together with her two children – Lindsey (Aleisha Allen) and Kevin (Philip Daniel Bolden) - have moved into Nick's small, compact apartment. Chaos (and a whole lotta mess) ensues when the four of them try to navigate their way through the tight hallways and diminutive rooms of Nick's former bachelor abode. Milk is spilled and eggs go flying and when Suzanne reveals that she is pregnant, and expecting twins no less, Nick makes the executive decision to move the family out and into a larger home.Suzanne, Lindsey, and Kevin are not impressed when the search for a new home leads them into the countryside. Nick waxes lyrical about the clean, fresh air, the serenity of the landscape and the wide open spaces and tries to convince his wife and stepchildren that moving into rural Oregon is the best choice for them – until he comes face to face with a deer and then it's every man for himself! They somewhat reluctantly set their sights on an outwardly beautiful historic home built in 1889 and consider buying the property from real estate agent Chuck Mitchell Jr (John C. McGinley).Chuck describes the property as a "fixer-upper" and rightfully so because it seems that everything the Persons touch either crumbles into little tiny pieces or savagely tears apart with no warning whatsoever. When Suzanne expresses concern over the dilapidated structure, Nick insists that he is perfectly capable of renovating the home himself and fixing any little problems that crop up. I can pretty much guarantee that you're sitting there, reading this review and shaking your head in disbelief right about now. Believe me, so am I.Realtor Chuck wins himself a sale and the Persons move in (albeit grudgingly). Now that the family is based in the country, it's time for Nick to introduce his wife and stepchildren to the beautiful outdoors. He takes them on fishing and canoe trips, quiet walks through the wilderness, and jaunts across open trails reminiscent of the open plains of the English countryside. Nick obviously wants the best for his new family and tries really hard to help them all adapt to their new surroundings, but at every turn they encounter one obstacle after another. If they're not being attacked by a shark-like fish, their house's electrical wiring is blowing up. If they're not being chased by a swarm of bats, they're falling through holes in the floor and muddy trenches in the ground.Admitting defeat and at the behest of his wife, Nick calls in the local contractor who happens to be realtor Chuck (he wears both hats apparently). Chuck quickly gets to work and upon his initial inspection proclaims that the home's issues go a lot deeper than his original diagnosis of it being a simple "fixer-upper." Needless to say, Nick is not impressed especially when he re-enters his home and finds it nearly gutted soon after Chuck's arrival. Frustrated and emasculated, Nick takes out his anger on his expectant wife and stepchildren, not to mention realtor/contractor Chuck whom Nick swiftly fires. To add more fuel to the fire, daughter Lindsey sneaks out of the house one night to go to a party and when she gets caught, Nick grounds her which further provokes the ire of pregnant Suzanne.As with all family comedies, it's pretty much inevitable when the husband and wife clash and the situation is brought to a head; in this case, Suzanne takes the children and moves into the guesthouse, away from her frustrated spouse. Unfortunately, the stress of the situation and her already fragile condition culminate into labour pains – looks like the twin babies are on the way! Turns out the nearest hospital is an hour away so Nick and Lindsey are stuck having to deliver the infants themselves. In comes Chuck and it's a full house of frantic, panicked people. Oh joy!Fast forward to six months later and we see the Persons and their friends (including Chuck) enjoying a big barbecue in the home's backyard. The house has been renovated, the Persons family is living together again, and everyone's happy – just in time for the film's animated end credits to roll. How charming! Except that it's not. The whole film seems juvenile and horribly contrived. Yes, it's billed as a comedy, but I honestly didn't laugh once and it was due mostly to the cast's poor performances and deficient humour (if you can even call it humour).
nightbreed303
There are 3 lead characters in this film, contrary to other reviewer's erroneous statements that there are 2. Ice Cube's exasperated father-to be, John C. McGinley's multi-tasking entrepreneur and the actual house itself. There is an underlying theme here; the love-hate triangle which develops between the home-owner, the contractor and the house. The home-owner begins to despise his property, while the contractor has a vision of what the property can mean to a family. As the film moves on the house changes from an ugly duckling into a beautiful home, paralleling the transformation of the home-owner's relationship with his family and would-be friends. I know people dislike this film, but I happened to enjoy it. It's a rare occasion of a sequel being better than the original. The first film was awful.
disdressed12
i thought this sequel to Are We There Yet was pretty good.it's a bit funnier.it's based on the classic movie Mr.Blandings builds his dream House,but it also has a lot of the Money Pit thrown in.John C. McGinley is very funny in his role.i don't want to say what that role is,because that would be spoiling things.but trust me,he's pretty funny.as with the first movie,this one is predictable,so there's no surprise how it will end.there's a bit of innuendo here,but no bad language.i'm surprised at the low rating(2.8/10) which in my mind is nowhere near fair.for me,this is a movie that is pretty much good for the whole family.i give Are We Done Yet? a 6/10
