Is The Interview Done Yet?: DVD Verdict Interviews Are We There Yet? Director Brian Levant

Judge Patrick Naugle

June 13th, 2005

What does Fred Flintstone's family, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and a pack of snow dogs led by Cuba Gooding, Jr., have in common? All of them have been directed by Brian Levant, the hand behind such popular family films as the cartoon adaptation The Flintstones, the holiday comedy Jingle All The Way, and Snow Dogs. In 2005, Levant teamed up with hot hip-hop actor Ice Cube (Barbershop, xXx: State of the Union) to make the family comedy Are We There Yet? for Revolution Studios. Levant spent a few minutes talking with DVD Verdict about Ice Cube, the golden days of Happy Days, and his thoughts on a famous W.C. Fields quote...

Patrick Naugle: How did you get involved with Are We There Yet??

Brian Levant: I had a meeting with someone from Revolution Studios. I went in and found out that this person had been involved with the film Snow Dogs over at Disney. He just loved it and said, "you really oughta read this!" It certainly wasn't in finished form, but it had a lot of comedy and heart, and more potential than anything I'd seen in the last year. So, I jumped all over it and met with Ice Cube. I told him all my ideas, he embraced them, and we went to work and made the movie.

PN: What was it like working with Ice Cube?

BL: It was very good. You wouldn't call either of us the great communicator, but we really were of the same mind of what we wanted to accomplish, which was to make a film that would play to all audiences; kids, adults, white, black, Hispanic, Asian.everything. The themes were universal and were really interesting.

PN: How much input did Ice Cube have in making the film?

BL: The script was originally bought for Adam Sandler. Ice Cube did a few rewrites on it. He mainly put in a few set pieces, such as chasing the train on the horse and stuff. He really created a character whose skin he'd be very comfortable in.

PN: How was it working with the two kids?

BL: They were two of the best kids I've ever worked with. We don't have much of a gag reel around them because they didn't make many mistakes. They were spot on, bright, and came from wonderful families. They worked very hard and I can't say enough about both of them. They were just great.

PN: The movie has a very "Home Alone on the road" feel to it. Is that what you were aiming for?

BL: Well, there was definitely a John Hughes-ian influence to it. I think that we didn't reference it or go back and look at it, or anything like that. I think the comparisons come because we were shooting things that John Hughes and Chris Columbus were shooting, which is large-scale physical comedy. Stuff that was set up and executed well. I think that's where the comparisons come from more than anything.

PN: While Are We There Yet? was panned by critics, the film still had a healthy run at the box office. Why do you think that is?

BL: Because the critics are morons! Critics are usually looking for art and we're all entertainers. And they don't understand people who just do things to entertain people. Making family films, there are a number of restrictions on what you can do and say. It's sometimes more difficult within those parameters. I don't think critics understand or respond to those limitations, or are appreciative when you succeed in them.

PN: How much of the film utilizes CGI and how much of it uses practical effects?

BL: Every Satchel Page [voiced in the film by Saturday Night Live alum Tracy Morgan] shot where you see his face is a CGI shot. I think all in all we had about a hundred CGI shots out of 1,200 different edits in the film. The last shot in the film is a huge $120,000 dollar CGI shot and the Henson creature shop did all the Satchel Page shots. They utilized a brand new technique where they use a CGI puppet that is performed live and captured with the Henson Performance Control system. It allows the Henson workshop to continue doing what they've been doing since the 1950s, which is perform a character and not just create a wire frame and teach it to talk. There were actually two guys running it, working his eyes and mouth, and bringing it all together.

PN: Any funny stories from the shoot?

BL: None! This was hard, sloppy work in wet weather. Some days when we were shooting the sun would rise at 8:13 A.M. and set at 4:04 P.M. We were just hustling every second of every hour to complete our work and tell our story.

PN: You've worked in many family friendly movies like Beethoven and the two Flintstones films. What has kept you working in that genre?

BL: Well, it's one I really enjoy. It complements my interests in pop culture and the TV shows and cartoons I watched when I grew up. In my first real job on TV I was on Happy Days for 100 episodes and I ended up running the show. What I learned was that there is nothing harder or pleasurable than creating quality family entertainment.

PN: You were also a TV writer on the show Mork & Mindy. Can you tell us a bit about your experiences on those shows?

BL: I actually was watching the Everybody Loves Raymond finale and I felt so bad for them because I knew from experience what it was like to see your TV family break up and end. That's the difference between television and film; on TV you're with people for years and really do have a much deeper relationship with them. If you make a mistake on TV, you'll fix it next week -- you only get one shot in the movies.

PN: What got you out of sitcoms and into the movies?

BL: I started repeating myself. I did 418 episodes on TV and said everything I wanted to say.

PN: W.C. Fields famously commented that he hated working with children and animals. You've worked with both, and often. Are you crazy?

BL: Yes, I am! (laughs) I have six dogs of my own, including one I brought back from Snow Dogs. Three of them are over 100 lbs., if that gives you any indication. I've always enjoyed working with kids, especially when I did the The Bad News Bears TV series. I discovered that working with kids keeps you in touch with a part of you that otherwise has seemingly vanished. I really do enjoy them and helping them to shape their performances.

PN: What's next for you?

BL: Hopefully a film at New Line Cinema. It involves a man that discovers he's in the alien witness protection program. No stars yet -- we're still working on the script.