Ride Along
Is mostly just a mashup of watered-down action/comedy tropes (think Rush Hour) and uninspired slapstick that is less imaginative than that featured in last year’s female buddy-cop comedy The Heat.
Ride Alongintroduces us to Atlanta cop James Payton ( Ice Cube ) , an classic and stubbornly self-governing officeholder of the law who has nothing but disdain for diminutive , tight - talking high school day certificate guard Ben Barber ( Kevin Hart ) , who ’s steal the heart of James ' baby , Angela ( Tika Sumpter ) . When Ben is accepted to the constabulary honorary society , he decides to ask James for his blessing to propose to Angela , which the latter accord to give Ben on the condition that he accompany James for a day at employment ( read : a " drive along " ) and examine himself worthy .
James takes vantage of every opportunity he has to make Ben miserable and convince him that he ’s not slue out to wield a badge , while secretly investigating further into a dangerous case . Will Ben manage to yarn-dye his lady friend ’s over - protective brotherandprove that he has what it take to uphold the law ? ( Answer : Take a wild guess . )
Ride Alongis organise by Tim Story , who specialise in broad amusement , be it the quirky action - comedyTaxi , good - natured dramedyBarbershopor the cartoonyFantastic Fourmovies from the mid - aughts . His new magnetic declination on the crony - cop formula has the occasional satisfying and/or funny minute , but is mostly just a mashup of water - down action / comedy tropes ( thinkRush Hour ) and uninspired slapstick that is less imaginative than that feature in last year ’s distaff pal - cop comedyThe Heat .
Cube and Hart release out to be an ok pairing , though it ’s really the latter who merit the quotation for making this wedlock even a half - success . Cube incessantly scowl and drops PG-13 expletives throughoutRide Along ’s running game time , yet he does so with little enthusiasm or charisma ; that James is also an unlikeable and war-ridden maverick who ’s borderline sociopathic ( consider John McClane inA Good Day to Die Hard ) makes him fail as the empathic straight - valet . ironical , pay how Cube the rapper in all likelihood would ’ve rallied against portraying this abuse of authority for comical effect back in his youth - but that ’s another discussion .
As for Hart , he makes an admirable campaign to deal every crippled jest , slapstick act or zany scenario that Ben is give , but his tangible DOE does n’t save the movie - though it does make it go down slow . Part of the problem is that it finger as though Hart need to have an gas constant - Rated or edgier PG-13 action / funniness templet for him to flex his funnyman muscles decently , like what Eddie Murphy had inBeverly Hills Cop . Unfortunately , theRide Alongscript written by Greg Coolidge ( Sorority Boys ) , Jason Mantzoukas ( Childrens Hospital ) and write duet Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi ( R.I.P.D. ) instead saddles Hart with bland wisecracks about his peak , sore nature and " hammering . "
That theRide Alongscreenplay is predictable to a shift does n’t come as a surprisal , but the support fibre ( which can provide buddy - cop movies with more " fizz " ) are n’t give enough idiosyncrasy or appealingness to make up for the difference . John Leguizamo ( Kick - Ass 2 ) can be an piquant screen presence , but he and Bryan Callen ( The Hangover Part II ) are lodge play James ' personality - less match , and exist primarily to throw out the plot of land whenever telephone upon . As for Tika Sumpter ( Sparkle ) as Angela : she ’s there to swear out as centre candy and not much else .
season character doer Bruce McGill ( Lincoln ) portrays James ' reject boss Lt . Brooks , but he plays the office oddly serious rather than hamming it up . That goes for the casting as a whole , including cameos by the the likes of of Jacob Latimore ( Black Nativity ) and a limited visual aspect that I wo n’t spoil ( avoid the celluloid ’s IMDb varlet if you do n’t want to know ) - they all seem to be going through the apparent motion playing either generic archetypes or banal caricatures . Well , again , save for Hart , that is .
Story is capable to stage the movie ’s few activity succession with acceptable dash , though he and editor program Craig Alpert ( The safari ) show ineffectual to steep the multiple comedy adjust piece with much energy or creative spark . By the time the celluloid winds down to the inevitable third - act narrative payoffs and Cube / Hart fill out their character electric arc , Ride Alonghas establish to be little more than a forgettable addition to the buddy - copper literary genre .
Still , Kevin Hart manages to prove here that he ’s deserve of a good comedy vehicle to showcase his talent . So , ifRide Alongdoes perform well at the box office , at least that ’ll amend the chances of Hart getting another opportunity to breakout in the future .
Tika Sumpter and Kevin Hart in ‘Ride Along’
In display case you ’re still undecided , here is the poke forRide Along :
Ride Alongis now playing in theaters . It is 100 minute farsighted and Rated PG-13 for sequences of wildness , sexual contentedness and abbreviated potent language .
Tika Sumpter and Kevin Hart in ‘Ride Along’
surety sentry duty Ben Barber lecture his girlfriend ’s police officer brother , James Payton , to take him for a ride - along , hope to prove to James that he ’s good enough to espouse his babe . However , Ben pay back more than he bargained for when he gets tangled up in James ' Salmon P. Chase for an arms dealer .
Bryan Callen and John Leguizamo in ‘Ride Along’
