Cast: Ice Cube, Nia Long, Jay Mohr and Tracy Morgan
Director: Brian Levant
Studio Synopsis: Nick (Ice Cube), a smooth operator, is trying to land a date with a young, attractive divorcee, Suzanne (Nia Long). Problem is Suzanne is stuck working in Vancouver and miserable because she misses her kids. Seizing the opportunity, Nick gallantly offers to make her wish come true – and his own in the process – by bringing seven-year-old Kevin (Philip Daniel Bolden) and 11-year-old Lindsey (Aleisha Allen) up from Portland, Oregon to be reunited with their mom. What Nick doesn't know is that Suzanne's children think that no man is good enough for their mom and will do everything they can to make the trip a nightmare for him.
Rating: PG
Running Time: 91 minutes
Official Web site: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/
arewethereyet/
Trailer: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/arewethereyet/

The Verdict: Once upon a time Ice Cube was Straight Outta Compton with N.W.A. Now the former hardcore rapper’s 350 miles and driving with two kids. Too bad Are We There Yet? is a warmhearted but empty-headed family farce that feels like an Eddie Murphy castoff. Ice Cube shows his cuddly side as Nick, a confirmed bachelor who falls hard and heavy for beautiful divorcee Suzanne (Nia Long). To prove he’s a family man, Nick agrees to drive Suzanne’s two kids—Lindsey (Aleisha Allen) and Kevin (Philip Bolden)— from Portland to Vancouver on New Year’s Eve. And that’s when the chaos begins. The kids don’t want Nick dating their mother, so they make life hell for him. Ice Cube naturally takes a beating—one harder than any endured by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern in the Home Alone farces. So, by the end of the journey, Ice Cube’s bloody and bruised, and his new Lincoln Navigator looks like it had been used in a crash test. Out to broaden his appeal following the success of the Barbershop series, Ice Cube doesn’t possess Murphy’s comic chops, but he throws himself into the mayhem with much gusto. He also develops a nice rapport with Allen and Bolden, both of whom come across as delightfully devious. Together they make Are We There Yet? a journey almost bearable. Unfortunately, director Brian Levant takes the road we have been down many times before. With its winter holiday setting, and reluctant traveling companions, Are You There Yet? too often resembles a juvenile facsimile of John Hughes’ uproarious Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Levant even borrows from his own Snow Dogs—which features the pooches chatting during one fantasy sequence—and throws in a foulmouthed Satchel Paige bobblehead doll voiced by Tracy Morgan. The former SNLer tries to make this work, but he's lumbered with bad jokes and dubious words of wisdoms. Kids, though, will giggle endlessly at the sight of Paige yakking up a storm, Ice Cube wrestling with a deer, Bolden trying to maintain control of his bodily functions, and the SUV sustaining hit after hit. All others are advised to undertake this journey under extreme caution.
—Robert Sims

Other Reviews:
The Miami Herald (1 star)
The Sun-Sentinel (1 star)
City Link
New Times Broward-Palm Beach
The Palm Beach Post