Cast:
Ice Cube as Nick Persons
Nia Long as Suzanne Persons
John C. McGinley as Chuck Mitchell Jr.
Aleisha Allen as Lindsey Persons
Philip Bolden as Kevin Persons
Jonathan Katz as Mr. Rooney
Linda Kash as Mrs. Rooney
Alexander Kalugin as Russian Contractor
Dan Joffre as Billy Pulu
Pedro Miguel Arce as Georgie Pulu
Tahj Mowry as Danny Pulu
Jacob Vargas as Mike the Plumber
Summary:
“Are We Done Yet?” is yet another movie that shows all its funny moments in the commercials and trailers. John C. McGinley brings most of the comedy and energy to the film, but it ends up being too boring for kids and un-engaging for adults.
Story:
This film is based on “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House”. The following is the official synopsis of the movie:
“”Are We Done Yet?” is a follow-up to Revolution Studios’ hilarious 2005 family comedy “Are We There Yet?” and picks up where the last story left off. Now married to Suzanne (Nia Long), Nick Persons (Ice Cube) has bought a quiet suburban house to escape the rat race of the big city and to provide more space for his new wife and kids Lindsey and Kevin (Aleisha Allen and Philip Daniel Bolden). But when his new home quickly becomes a costly “fixer upper” and he finds himself at the mercy of an eccentric contractor (John C. McGinley), Nick’s suburban dream soon becomes a riotous nightmare.
“Are We Done Yet?” is rated PG for some innuendos and brief language.
What Worked:
If there’s one shining part to “Are We Done Yet?”, it’s John C. McGinley as Chuck Mitchell Jr.. He brings almost all of the energy and laughs to the film. Much of his performance is incredibly over the top, but it seems to work. McGinley is a slightly more competent and less obnoxious Bob from “What About Bob?”. He manages to endear himself to all of the family except for Nick who blames him for all the problems in the house (and rightly so). His antics generate most of the laughs while Ice Cube plays the straight man.
Unfortunately, there’s not much else good to say about this movie.
What Didn’t Work:
“Are We Done Yet?” is pretty much what I was asking myself over and over as this movie ran. I was starting to beg my kid to leave the theater.
They advertised it heavily on children’s television, so my 5-year-old begged to go. I took him along thinking he’d enjoy it. Unfortunately, despite all the slapstick that is shown in the commercials and trailers, this film has long stretches where nothing happens. My kid (and I) got incredibly bored. I was also annoyed that all the moments that were even slightly amusing were shown in the commercials and trailers. If you’ve seen them, then you’ve seen all this movie has to offer.
Despite being a remake of “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House” (which I’m sure you’re all familiar with. No?), this movie seems like it has all been done before from the slapstick to the dialogue. All the problems with the house, the problems with the countryside, and the eccentric contractors have all been seen before in Tom Hanks’ “The Money Pit” and Chevy Chase’s “Funny Farm.” And they were all done better there. The script also gets incredibly hokey, especially in the final act when Nia Long as Suzanne Persons moves out of the house.
I’ll also add that this is the first time I’ve seen a company credited for the main titles in the main titles. They must have thought pretty highly of their animated Ice Cube (or they thought nobody would stick around for the final credits).
The Bottom Line:
You certainly wouldn’t expect “Are We Done Yet?” to win any Academy Awards, but it’s not really successful in anything that it sets out to do. It’s not entertaining enough for kids or original enough to entertain adults.
