Are We Done Yet? film review

certificate_PG

ARE WE DONE YET?

Ice Cube has come a long way since arriving on the scene in 1991's groundbreaking Boyz 'n The Hood, but artistically he's gone backwards, a direction that brings him to the pitiful Are We Done Yet? A sequel to the equally vapid Are We There Yet?, it's based upon the 1948 comedy Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House, starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. But Ice Cube is no Cary Grant.

It's not entirely Cube's fault. His character, Nick Persons, is about as easy get a grip on as soup. Hank Nelken's screenplay is, according to the credits, "based upon characters created by Steven Gary Banks and Claudia Grazioso", though in Persons' case there is evidently little to work with. That the house at the centre of the story is more entertaining and endearing than Persons says all you need to know about Are We Done Yet?

The real star of the film is John C. McGinley, who provides all the energy and humour in this otherwise lackluster affair. McGinley plays Chuck Mitchell Jr., the "jerk of all trades" in the small country town where the newly married Persons relocates with his heavily pregnant wife Suzanne (Nia Long) and her two kids from a previous relationship, Lindsey (Aleisha Allen) and Kevin (Philip Bolden), after things became too cramped in their city apartment.

Their dream home quickly becomes a nightmare as they discover a host of problems, including dry rot, faulty electrics, blocked pipes, a belligerent raccoon and bats in the chimney. After Nick's futile attempts at home improvement wreak more havoc, he calls in Chuck, which is when his real problems begin.

The multi-talented, multi-facetted Mitchell is a farcical character. His present jobs include being the local real estate agent, contractor and council inspector, while his past includes stints as a mid-wife, a professional basketball player, a competitive walker and yoga instructor. McGinley indulges all his considerable comedic talents as he plays Chuck as broad as his last vestiges of restraint allow, though once you go so far as to feature a team of blind plumbers, then clearly anything goes. In the case of Are We Done Yet? it's rhyme and reason.

Kevin Murphy