Are We Done Yet?

  • Review Date: August 7, 2007
  • PG
  • Genre: Comedy
  • 2007
 Review

Common Sense Media says

Ice Cube's do-it-yourself sequel is too formulaic.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this sequel to Are We There Yet? follows a blended family in which there's significant tension between the stepfather and kids. Like most family comedies, there are dozens of sight gags and pratfalls. Three blind plumbers and two obese Hawaiian subcontractors are competent workers -- which makes their unnecessarily stereotypical depictions even more obvious. A 13-year-old girl is portrayed as boy crazy and wears revealing outfits in a couple of scenes. She also flirts and sneaks out to party with an older teenage construction worker. Mom Suzanne has a discreet homebirth, although her husband passes out after checking to see whether the baby has crowned.

  • Three blind plumbers are shown mistaking the woods for the house, but in another scene they work correctly on the pipes. A diverse group of neighbors visit Nick and Suzanne with welcome gifts. When a tattooed, Goth-looking family visits, Nick says: "Thanks, and leave before I call the cops." Several Hawaiian characters are obese. The movie's overall theme is that a "house is not a home." When Nick embraces his new role as stepfather and father-to-be, his family and his home come together.
  • Loads of pratfalls and other cartoonish physical gags.
  • A 13-year-old wears tight, revealing, clothes. She sneaks out of her house to go to a party with an older boy. They dance, hug, and hold hands. Nick and Suzanne hug and kiss in bed after she alludes to "breaking in the house." Suzanne gives birth to twins at home, and Nick faints after checking under her skirt.
  • Not much: "sucka," "weird," "I hate you."
  • Minor: Nick wears various college jerseys and T-shirts; Suzanne has a Louis Vuitton bag.
  • Nick does two shots and downs a beer at a bar when he finds out he's having twins. People drink mixed drinks at a party.

What's the story?

In ARE WE DONE YET? -- a loose remake of the Cary Grant-Myrna Loy classic Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House -- Nick (Ice Cube) shares a crowded apartment with his new wife, Suzanne (Nia Long) and her two kids, with a new pair of twins on the way. The clan leaves Portland for the country to renovate a grand 19th-century mansion -- which, as it turns out, basically needs to be gutted and rebuilt, plank-by-plank and pipe-by-pipe. Hovering over every step of the process is town realtor/contractor/inspector/counselor/midwife Chuck (John C. McGinley). Having sold the fixer-upper, Chuck becomes persona non grata to Nick, but the rest of the family adores his quirky, all-knowing ways -- even moody 13-year-old Lindsey (Aleisha Allen), who's too boy-crazy to notice much of anyone.


Is it any good?

 

At this point, it's safe to wonder whether there will ever be a family comedy that doesn't show a father getting smacked in the face with flying kitchen debris or in the groin with, well, anything pain-inducing. The omission of those trite sight gags would be a novel idea indeed, but the sequel to Are We There Yet? isn't original enough to survive without such familiar scenes. That said, it is much better (and cleaner) than the original.

McGinley steals the show with Chuck's goofy-but-wise antics and exhaustive résumé (he's an expert in Capoiera, a former L.A. Laker, and a championship power-walker). Meanwhile, Long -- a lovely and talented actress -- seems decorative by comparison, which is a shame, since she's got great comic timing. Despite the all-too-familiar nature of its home-improvement jokes and teenage-daughter dilemmas, some families might get a belly laugh or two out of this formulaic film. Just don't expect a trilogy.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about how the media portrays blended families. Is Nick's relationship with his stepkids realistic? What kinds of issues do blended families face in real life? Families can also discuss the media's take on kids' transition into full-blown adolescence. How is Lindsey similar to and different from 13-year-olds you know? Why is Nick so upset about the way she dresses? Parents and kids can also talk about stereotypes. How does the movie portray Hawaiian people and the blind? Is it funny or offensive? Why?


This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Kid, 12 years old
April 9, 2008
 

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Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 
I ;aughed

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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
i crack up

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Great Movie
This movie is good.

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Parent of 15 year old
April 9, 2008
 
gfhtyhtd
hytdhjd

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Kid, 13 years old
April 9, 2008
 
i lost six brain sells watching this

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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 

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Kid, 10 years old
December 18, 2010
 
HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Studio:Revolution Studios
Director:Steve Carr
Cast:Ice Cube, John C. McGinley, Nia Long
Genre:Comedy
Run time:92 minutes
Theatrical release date:April 4, 2007
DVD release date:August 7, 2007
MPAA rating:PG
MPAA explanation:some innuendos and brief language.

This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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