Grade: C- | Gangster rappers rely heavily on their ability to appear, well, gangster.

But Ice Cube has changed his methods. As of late, he has felt the need to appear in pseudo-children’s movies about learning to be a stepfather.

It is an odd experience to watch a person known for rapping and starring in movies about doing drugs and shooting people try to tackle the problems of parenthood.

Unfortunately for Ice Cube, he fails miserably at creating the heartfelt movie about “gaining trust and becoming a family” that he set out to make.

Through most of the movie, he appears lethargic, as if he is just this side of falling asleep from boredom.

Nia Long is his new wife, but there does not appear to be any magic between the two. Any dialogue between them is stale and boring. They share little to no chemistry needed when making a film ultimately about love.

Most of the movie, he battles Chuck Mitchell Jr. (John C. McGinley), who sold him the dump of a house he and his family now reside in. Ice Cube has been duped by McGinley into buying a house on the verge of falling apart, but through neglect on Ice Cube’s part, he never realizes this.

While small portions of the movie are resonant of “The Money Pit,” this movie ultimately lacks the ingenuity and comic ability of Tom Hanks and Shelley Long.

McGinley is best known for his work on the television show “Scrubs” and his portrayal of one of the Bob’s in the cult classic “Office Space.” His off-beat form of comedy, however, is too far-fetched for this sort of film.

The theme of the movie is the difficulty of newlywed life and trying to take on a family that began without you. While this endeavor is quite noble, Ice Cube is unable to make any of his struggles in the movie seem real which leaves the audience wondering: What is the point?

It is, no doubt, difficult to cross over from one entertainment industry to another, but Ice Cube has been trying to make this shift for a while. He may want to stick to rapping.