Film

Are We There Yet?

Other titles called Are We There Yet?: the 2010 series (TBS).

A fish-out-of-water road movie where a smooth-talking bachelor (Ice Cube) drives his girlfriend's two hostile kids from Portland to Vancouver, discovering that winning them over is harder than any romantic conquest. It's broad, earnest family comedy that takes the stepparent dilemma seriously even as it piles on slapstick. For people who want their comedy gentle and their heart visible.

TMDb rating2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy broad, good-natured family comedy where a motormouth man-child gets steamrolled by two scheming kids, and you don't mind the gags landing on the obvious side.

Skip it if you want sharp writing or a slow-build romance; the jokes are loud, repetitive and mostly physical, and the sweetness arrives early and stays put.

What it asks of you: Ninety-five minutes of easy, unbroken chaos with little to chew on; it hands you the laughs at a steady clip and asks only that you keep up.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Cheaper by the Dozen2003

Steve Martin as a dad overwhelmed by twelve kids hits similar notes of adult competence crumbling against childhood chaos. It has genuine warmth underneath the mayhem, and the ensemble cast carries you through.

But The broad humour can feel stale, and the pacing sags in the middle. It's very much a 2003 family comedy, which means dated in ways that might distract you.

Cheaper by the Dozen poster

Malibu's Most Wanted2003

Jamie Kennedy in another fish-out-of-water comedy where someone has to prove themselves in unfamiliar territory. It's got that same slightly hacky charm and commitment to premise, with genuinely funny character work underneath.

But The humour relies heavily on cultural stereotypes and parody that land unevenly. It's not mean-spirited, but it can feel clumsy in retrospect.

Malibu's Most Wanted poster

Madea's Family Reunion2006

Tyler Perry's blend of broad comedy and genuine emotional stakes, where family grudges and reconciliation matter as much as the laughs. It understands why these stories resonate with audiences.

But Perry's films are uneven in quality, and this one indulges in some overwrought melodrama. The pacing can feel more like a stage play than a film.

Madea's Family Reunion poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Are We There Yet?

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

National Lampoon's Vacation1983

Both films use the road trip as a crucible where family bonds are tested and forged, but National Lampoon picks the bones clean where the later film still believes in redemption.

The template for road movies where plan and reality collide spectacularly. Chevy Chase's determination to make everything work despite mounting disasters is exactly Ice Cube's journey, just played as mounting catastrophe instead of romantic comedy.

But It's far darker and more cynical than Are We There Yet?, with cruelty and tragedy underneath the laughs. If you want sweetness, this will feel like a betrayal.

National Lampoon's Vacation poster
More like this (8)

The Game Plan2007

Dwayne Johnson as a cocky athlete learning fatherhood through a precocious daughter he didn't know he had. It's got the same earnest redemption arc and commitment to showing a guy becoming better.

But It's almost aggressively wholesome, which can tip into saccharine. The Disney formula is very visible and creaky.

The Game Plan poster

Daddy Day Care2003

Eddie Murphy navigating childcare chaos has real comedic energy, and the film genuinely cares about showing him figure out this new role. It captures that panic of being out of your depth.

But The humour is hit-or-miss and relies on dated references. Some sequences drag significantly, and the film loses focus in the third act.

Daddy Day Care poster

Big Daddy1999

Adam Sandler raising a kid he accidentally adopts has genuine heart underneath the silly bits. It's sincere about fatherhood in a way that elevates the comedy.

But Sandler's comedic tics can grate, and there are tonal lurches between slapstick and genuine emotion that don't always work.

Big Daddy poster

Elf2003

Will Ferrell as a man-child learning to fit into a world he doesn't understand, with a father learning to accept him. The Christmas setting and genuine sweetness make it endlessly rewatchable.

But It's been watched to death, and some of the humour (the cotton balls, the syrup) can feel one-note if you're not in the mood.

Elf poster

Beethoven1992

A chaotic family pet disrupts a household and bonds everyone together. It's got that same mix of broad physical comedy and surprise emotional sincerity about belonging.

But The jokes are very silly and rely on dog-related slapstick. It hasn't aged as gracefully as it might have, and the plot is thin.

Beethoven poster

Jungle 2 Jungle1997

Tim Allen discovering he has a teenage son raised in the jungle and bringing him to New York is absurd premise executed with genuine commitment. Both leads are likeable, and the fish-out-of-water dynamics are sound.

But It's aggressively '90s in the worst ways, and the humour often lands with a thud. The cultural elements haven't aged well.

Jungle 2 Jungle poster

Moonlight2016

Ice Cube's character learning to care for kids who initially reject him mirrors Chiron learning to accept love and connection; both films understand that vulnerability is harder than any cool exterior.

A three-chapter meditation on a Black man learning to survive and connect with people despite the world pushing him away. It's quieter and more introspective, but it's asking the same question: how do we let people in?

But It's a slow, poetic film about trauma and loneliness. There is no broad comedy here, no road trip hijinks—just hard-won emotional truth.

Moonlight poster

Planes, Trains and Automobiles1987

Both films understand that forced proximity strips away pretense; where Are We There Yet? is optimistic about connection, Planes, Trains captures the bittersweet truth that the people we're stuck with often become the people we need.

John Hughes' masterpiece about two strangers forced together by circumstance, learning to see each other as human. Steve Martin and John Candy navigate frustration and eventual affection with real craft. It's funny and heartbreaking in equal measure.

But It's a genuinely sad film about loss and loneliness wearing a comedy mask. If you watch it for laughs, you'll miss what makes it matter.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles poster

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