Are We There Yet? – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Are We There Yet?

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie2005Family, Adventure

32%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Ice Cube gets tortured by scheming kids on a road trip in this critically-demolished 2005 family comedy that's more exhausting than entertaining.

4.8/10

12%

45%

5.7

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Are We There Yet?

movie

2005, Family, Adventure

32%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Ice Cube gets tortured by scheming kids on a road trip in this critically-demolished 2005 family comedy that's more exhausting than entertaining.

4.8

12%

5.7

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4.8/10

12%

5.7

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Screenwise Verdict

Look, the ratings don't lie: 12% on Rotten Tomatoes, 4.8 on IMDb, 2.6 on Letterboxd. This is one of those family comedies that adults will find borderline unwatchable while kids might tolerate it if they're in the right mood.

The core issue is that it's built on 80 minutes of kids being genuinely awful to Ice Cube, followed by 10 minutes of forced sentimentality. The humor is dated mid-2000s slapstick—think bodily fluids and pratfalls—without the heart or wit that makes better family comedies work across generations.

There's a kernel of something useful here about blended families and giving new people a chance, but you'd have to endure a lot of mediocrity to extract it. If your kids are begging because they saw it on Tubi, fine, but don't expect to enjoy the experience yourself. There are dozens of better family road-trip comedies that won't make you want to drive off the road yourself.

Age Fit

Common Sense Media suggests age 10+, which tracks with the crude humor and some mild peril. Realistically, this works best for 8-12 year olds who enjoy slapstick and aren't too picky about quality. Teens and adults will likely find it painful.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

The film centers on blended family dynamics and shows a bachelor learning patience with kids, which has some positive messaging. However, the premise revolves around kids actively sabotaging an adult's trip through pranks and schemes, modeling manipulative behavior rather than healthy communication. The slapstick chaos and mean-spirited antics undercut the eventual heartwarming resolution. Common Sense Media rates it for age 10, suggesting some edge to the content.

Imaginative

This is a formulaic road-trip comedy with predictable beats: kids hate mom's boyfriend, hijinks ensue, everyone learns a lesson. There's minimal creativity in execution—it's Ice Cube doing pratfalls and dealing with bodily-function humor. The 12% Rotten Tomatoes critic score and 2.6/5 Letterboxd rating reflect its derivative, paint-by-numbers approach. No invitation to curiosity, building, or creative thinking.

Safe

No graphic violence, sexual content, or truly frightening material. The slapstick includes some physical comedy mishaps (likely involving bodily fluids, minor injuries) but nothing traumatic. The biggest safety concern is the behavioral modeling—kids actively trying to hurt an adult's relationship through sabotage. For a family comedy, it's relatively tame but not without some crude humor typical of mid-2000s PG fare.

Enriching

The film attempts to address blended family adjustment and learning to accept new relationships, which could spark conversations. However, the execution is shallow—lessons arrive through forced sentimentality after 80 minutes of toilet humor and slapstick. The abysmal critical reception (12% RT, 27 Metacritic) suggests it offers little substantive insight or meaningful character development. Entertainment value is also questionable given the 4.8 IMDb rating.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Addresses blended family dynamics and kids adjusting to mom's new boyfriend—a real situation many families navigate
Ice Cube brings charisma even when the script doesn't deserve it
Some kids might enjoy the slapstick pranks and physical comedy, even if it's low-brow
Eventually arrives at a message about giving people a chance and family acceptance

⚠

What to Watch For

Kids spend most of the movie actively sabotaging and manipulating—not exactly modeling healthy conflict resolution
Typical mid-2000s crude humor: expect bodily function jokes, vomit, and low-brow gags
The 12% critic score isn't a typo—this is genuinely hard to sit through for adults
Pacing drags and the humor feels dated; modern kids raised on tighter, smarter comedies may check out

Conversation Starters

"Why do you think the kids were so mean to Nick at first? Have you ever felt protective of a parent like that?"
"What could the kids have done differently to express their feelings instead of pranking him?"
"When have you had to give someone a second chance after a bad first impression?"
"How do you think Nick felt when the kids kept sabotaging the trip? Was it fair?"

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Are We There Yet? (2005): What Parents Need to Know Before Family Movie Night

Ice Cube's road-trip comedy brings slapstick laughs and mild mayhem—here's the real scoop on its PG rating.

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