Since long before the invention of the automobile, and indeed, since the very invention of the wheel itself, children worldwide have grappled with the reality that grown-ups often test their patience by subjecting them to long and tedious journeys. Today, family films like “Are We There Yet?” provide youngsters with a chance to return the favor, dragging their parents to the cinema to endure middling, cliché-ridden comedies about these very journeys.

There are two key points to note about “Are We There Yet?”. Firstly, the film was initially conceived as a vehicle for Adam Sandler, who ultimately passed on the project. In essence, the movie, now starring rapper-turned-filmmaker Ice Cube as a playboy bachelor reluctantly giving a ride to two precocious kids in an attempt to impress their mother, is a hand-me-down, having failed to meet Sandler’s standards. Secondly, the film primarily unfolds on New Year’s Eve and was seemingly intended for a holiday release, though it didn’t hit theaters until three weeks later, suggesting a lack of confidence from the studio.

It is fortunate, at least, that the lead actors possess a fair share of charisma. Despite the majority of his work being R-rated, Ice Cube has gradually transitioned toward family-friendly roles, beginning with the PG-13 “Barbershop” films and now with his first solid PG effort. Ice Cube’s character, Nick Persons, retains a hint of his gangsta persona, and his initial attraction to Suzanne Kingston (Nia Long), the divorced mother he seeks to impress, is primarily physical.

Nonetheless, Ice Cube exudes a relaxed movie-star quality that assures the audience that there is no need to fret; Nick has a heart of gold. Likewise, Aleisha Allen and Philip Bolden deliver entertaining performances as Lindsey and Kevin, the mischievous children who torment Nick on their journey to Vancouver to meet their mother.

However, personality can only take a film so far, and “Are We There Yet?” is more interested in lowbrow humor than in crafting even remotely believable characters that the audience could genuinely care about. The lowbrow approach occasionally works, such as when Lindsey and Kevin set up an array of intricate traps to deter any men who approach their mother’s door.

However, there are moments that are simply painful. As “Home Alone” demonstrated years ago, children delight in seeing a man subjected to groin injuries, and this film aims to please in that regard. At times, the humor appears inappropriate for a family film, particularly when both Nick and his talking Satchel Paige bobblehead doll (voiced by Tracy Morgan) make overtly admiring comments about Suzanne’s physique. For that matter, the inclusion of Nichelle Nichols, famously known as Star Trek’s Lt. Uhura, as a flirtatious elderly babysitter who snores loudly and offers Nick “a guided tour of Sin City” is bewildering.

Nevertheless, “Are We There Yet?” isn’t solely about innuendo, slapstick humor, and physical comedy. The filmmakers, including director Brian Levant (known for “Beethoven,” “Snow Dogs,” and both “Flintstones” movies), along with four credited writers, understand the importance of delivering a moral lesson in the family film genre. As such, the film introduces a few worthwhile themes, such as Nick learning to value what truly matters over material possessions, and the children reconciling with the father who abandoned them.

However, these moments of enlightenment are executed rather clumsily and don’t organically connect with the chaos and mayhem surrounding them. Instead, the film feels like a haphazard assembly of obligatory elements.

The film’s slapdash style becomes even more apparent in its later scenes, where Nick confronts a startled deer, answers a phone call while chasing a train on horseback, teaches Kevin to deal with bullies through menacing facial expressions, and contends with a trucker who believes the children need rescuing due to a “Help us!” sign in Nick’s SUV window. In short, the film, though relatively short in duration, contains a surplus of disjointed scenes, leaving parents in the final acts checking their watches and wondering if the film is finally over.