O’Shea “”Ice Cube”” Jackson better run, because his homies just saw “”Are We Done Yet?”” – and you better believe they’re coming to teach his ass a lesson and snatch back any scant street cred he has left. Though not the first family film Jackson has ever attempted, “”Done”” is definitely the meekest – and the competition is tough. The movie’s actually a sequel to the similarly titled film “”Are We There Yet?,”” about an average Joe named Nick Persons (Jackson) who takes his girlfriend’s bratty kids across state lines on a snowy New Year’s Eve trip. Picking up the same thread, the playboy bachelor is now married to the doe-eyed Nia Long, stuck in a cramped apartment with her two kids and awaiting two more.
Like any logical businessman in crisis, Persons discerns that a move to the country is the quickest fix for all their problems. Although a hasty whisk off to society’s boondocks may seem like a panacea for the family, his plan “”surprisingly”” goes awry when he buys the house from hell and starts to alienate his family in pursuit of his dream, to launch a sports magazine.
In between Jackson’s nostril-cocking and muted sensitivity, Long manages to simper through every scene, forgiving and even understanding the most outlandish behavior from every other character. A blind plumber? No problem. A creepy stranger living in a trailer by the new house? Why not? And the latter character, Chuck Mitchell Jr. – a kooky architect/real estate agent/midwife played by “”Scrubs”” star John C. McGinley – is far from contextually amusing. McGinley is uneven and downright creepy in his portrayal of the man who sold bum property to the clan. His blond curls and awkward garb summon flashbacks of a more gregarious and needy Napoleon Dynamite.
As Persons is thrown into deeper debt over the house’s dry-rot, termite and raccoon problems, the plot progresses to include a tragic backstory for our strange friend Chuck. When Mitchell’s deep psychological pain is revealed, Nick immediately forgives his devious trickery and calls for a truce. The most amazing part of the story is not the growling deer, ord when Magic Johnson appears (and speaks coherently), but that everyone gets mad at Persons for acting angrily in the face of frustration. It’s like the forever-unlucky guy wouldn’t dare scream at his misfortune or he’d disturb the lithium-induced haze permeating the town and its residents.
The real tragedy behind this mess is that it’s actually sloppy seconds, a lazy rehash of the classic film “”Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream Home,”” starring Cary Grant. And unlike the classy 1948 version, this 2007 attempt is a bland tryst between second-rate slapstick and corny dialogue. In the tradition of most family comedies – think Jim Carrey in “”Bruce Almighty,”” only with Cube as the douchebag – the character resolution comes when Nick learns to put his family’s needs first, be a better guy and ultimately abandon his dream for the mundane.
The conundrum of the “”family trap”” strikes many great comedians when they descend into old age and a bigger pants size. Victims like funnyman Tim Allen (“”The Santa Claus”” 1, 2 and 3) and Robin Williams (“”RV””) have gone from commanding relatively stimulating careers to helming silly kiddie flicks. Now it seems to be striking rappers as well, as even Cube falls into the slump – for the second time (didn’t he get enough shit for the first?). Some blame can be dealt to director Steve Carr, since he helped develop this piece, along with the likes of “”Daddy Day Care”” and “”Dr. Doolittle 2.”” But the majority of blame is on Cube. Even he admits, “”I’m not the type of actor who is trying to do a whole bunch of different shit, you know what I mean?”” Yeah, that’s apparent. But if it’s going to be this, why do anything at all? Oh, right – he likes to make lots of money. And he does. Go get ’em, hustla.
