Arts & Lifestyle

Are we there yet?!!

Hannah King

30 Sep 2025 — 2 min read

How will you handle this road trip from hell?

What family road trip hasn't heard the age old cry, "Are we there yet?" The 2005 movie Are We There Yet takes the chaotic experience of a road trip to extremes. The review from blogger Cole Smithey leaves a scathing review of the satirical movie and highlights a moment in which the kids even hitch a ride with a truck driver instead of Nick, their mother's boyfriend.

" The film’s agonizing second and third acts are a predictably escalating series of child induced horrors strewn across a plane, a train, and Nick’s doomed SUV. As Nick’s frequently ignored conscience talks to him through the guise of a CGI-infected Satchel Paige bobblehead doll, little Lindsey and Kevin act out their abandonment issues by persuading a passing trucker that Nick is a child molester who has kidnapped them. Their mean spirited act almost costs all of them their lives when the trucker decides to run Nick off the road with the help of one of his fellow trucker good buddies." (Smithey, 2005).

The 2003 movie Are We There Yet? is a comedic look at the potential chaotic disaster of a long road trip with kids. From boredom, wild life, and overwhelming moments of chaos, how will the family see their end destination? Early in the movie we see a moment of sibling bickering when stuck in a close space for long periods when Kevin mentions really needing to use the restroom. The older sister takes this opportunity to snipe at her younger brother with undoubtedly adds to the stress on the driver. Later in the movie, we see absurdities like the kids even jumping ship, so to speak. While a movie of extremes, how do you think you would do driving this road trip of chaos? What ways could this road trip have been made more relaxing for both the children and the driver? Road trips have certainly come a long way since this movie was made with the rise in back seat movie players and efforts put into calming the back seat or youth experiences of road trips.

References

Cole Smithey. (2005, March). Are We There Yet? review. Cole Smithey. https://www.colesmithey.com/reviews/2005/03/are_we_there_ye.html

Levant, B. (Director). (2005). Are we there yet? [Film]. Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. Colorado Mountain

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References

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