Io, lei e i suoi bambini

Long distance driving, constant headaches, groaning and claustrophobia. Then, that tedious question arises...Are we there yet? But in the new flick, Are we there yet?, that question takes a new meaning.

Through a series of worst-case scenarios from deer attacks to a train race on horseback, Nick Persons (Ice Cube, Barbershop) experiences it all.

Beginning a timid romance between Persons and Suzanne Kingston (Nia Long, Boiler Room), possible babysitters for her children while she's away becomes few and far between, leaving Persons, a child-hater as the only viable option. He must transport Kingston's two "angelic" children 350 miles from Oregon to Vancouver. They attempt to make it in 24 hours by plane, train and automobile.

Directed by Brian Levant, director of Snow Dogs (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) and Jingle All The Way (Arnold Schwarzenegger), he defines his love for making family-fun movies.

For what it was worth, the acting was decent. Ice Cube played a better role than I expected. Aleisha Allen (School of Rock) and Philip Bolden (Johnson Family Vacation) were well-cast. And the cherry on top of the acting was Jay Mohr (Pay It Forward, Jerry Maguire). The way the actors worked together accented the movie.

Cinematography in this movie was exactly what I expected. There were a few intriguing camera angles, better than I've seen from directors of Levant's credibility.

The rating was well chosen as PG. There was minor language and rude humor.

Noticing half of the theater filled with children ranging from five to twelve, and tons of parents, I'd definitely suggest staying away from this movie on a date. There were periodic jokes and entertaining scenes, but if you don't like "kiddy" movies, I would not encourage this.

There is some nice scenery, the soundtrack is slightly decent and Ice Cube tries hard to give his character some credibility. The problem is Are We There Yet, apart from the odd chuckle, isn't really that funny. The script is incredibly clunky, and the story was too predictable and the characters too clichéd to make the film likable and credible. Aside from Ice Cube the other acting is either forgettable or irritating. The direction is not very good, and the pacing is uneven throughout.

Overall, Are We There Yet does have its moments, but to be honest it isn't particularly good. Worst family film? No, I don't think so. But best? Not by a longshot. 3/10 Bethany Cox

What is up with the low ratings? This movie had us laughing all the way through it! Clean, somewhat predictable but in a fresh way. These kids did great in the movie; we enjoyed it a lot! Could easily lend itself to a sequel and another "road trip" kind of scenario. I see it as engaging and charming as "Home Alone" was so many years ago. I did think the mother's reaction at the end was a little extreme and that could have gone differently, but I didn't expect an Oscar-winning storyline with this fun, punchy, movie. I guess if there had been more swearing, sex, and violence it would have caught on better; seems to be where our culture likes to go these days. I say kudos to the writers and actors...you done good with this one and guess what...we're going to watch it again today!

The year 2005 has already started out with some bad turkeys to begin the flock of one of the worst family films of the year. And the movie which is basically a children's vehicle for rapper/actor/producer Ice Cube who is starring in "Are We There Yet?" is not worth the ride nor the price of admission. Too bad for Ice Cube though. He is a winning presence with an appealing deadpan comic shtick in the "Friday",and "Barbershop" movies as well as here,but he is hampered by the subpar work of the writers who are totally responsible for this mayhem of family dysfunctional values. Here he is not only muggin the camera at its worst,it is also the most pathetic display of sympathy by a actor in recent months. Here is what the producers did here. First they bring on two of the stars from the first original "Friday" movie(Ice Cube and a suddenly aged Nia Long),and put them in a film that is supposed to be family oriented material,since the film uses every cliché from several films to bring this to the point of ridiculous mayhem. From there,they bring on two of the most misbehaving,obnoxious kids ever to sully the screen,exhibiting misbehavior to such an extreme that it goes beyond the point of normality which to say goes way beneath rude and disrespectful. Still it is a shame that Ice Cube chose this clunker of a vehicle for his first-ever family film. It could have been a whole lot better if Cube brought along his protégé from the first "Friday" film as one of the kids uncles,you know like Chris Tucker? It could have made this film a lot more entertaining.

This may not be an Academy Award winning movie, but it was entertaining the whole way through. It was light hearted, funny (with some slap-stick and occasional rude humor) and moving at times. I thought it was cleaver how Nick's conscience was portrayed through a Satchel Paige bobble-head. This movie appealed to all ages. There were some surprise guest appearances, namely Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura from Star Trek) and Tracy Morgan as the voice of Satchel Paige. This movie was similar in style to Christmas With The Kranks only this one was actually funny and you care about the characters. If you are looking to be entertained and fun for the whole family ...then this movie is for you.