Tell me a story

Ben (played by Kevin Hart) is a security guard who wants to marry his girlfriend, Angela (played by Tika Sumpter), but it’s important to her to he first get the approval of her big brother. James (played by Ice Cube) is an Atlanta police officer who thinks Ben is a joke of a man, not worthy of his sister. With Ben wanting to prove himself to James, and James wanting to prove Ben a fool, they decide that Ben should go on a ride along with James for a day.

Ride Along. Directed by Tim Story. Written by Greg Coolidge, Jason Mantzoukas, Phil Hay, and Matt Manfredi.

My Rating

 
Ride Along is almost exactly what you expect it to be: an odd couple that does not get along with each other (at least in one direction) but must learn to work together once things start getting dangerous. There’s a different spin on the buddy cop element in that Ben isn’t actually a cop and that he looks up to James, which creates an interesting push/pull dynamic between the duo.

Throughout the movie James is investigating a big important case involving weapons trading and a mysterious crime figure, but as you’d expect, the details of the case aren’t all that important or compelling. This isn’t a crime film or a mystery. It’s a comedy, so all we really demand here are some good laughs. So even though James the cop behaves in some ways we’d want a real cop fired for, and even though the bad guys don’t just kill the heroes right away when they have the chance, it doesn’t matter because most of it is funny.
 

Both James and Ben are well developed. They’ve got clear, strong desires and distinct personalities. Ben is friendly and earnest but kind of wacky. James is isolated and tough. Together they make good comedy. Angela doesn’t play too big a role, but she’s likable in every scene she’s in.
 

It’s funny how just a couple of years ago Kevin Hart only had supporting roles in movies like The Five Year Engagement and Think Like a Man (which he positively stole), and now he is the lead in two movies coming out within two months of each other. As a fan of his stand up, I couldn’t be happier for the guy. And thankfully he has the acting chops to pull off all these roles. I enjoyed his performance in this. Some of his reaction shots were just hilarious. This is a nice change of pace from the overly cocky and foolish Kevin we see on his faux reality show The Real Husbands of Hollywood.

Ice Cube has the less demanding role (as far as I can tell). He gets to be the gruff guy for most of the movie, just shooting nasty looks at Kevin. And he does it well.

John Leguizamo has a role as Officer Santiago, and it’s great to see him again. He doesn’t have a whole lot to do, but he still ends up coming off like a bad ass.
 

Like other entries in the comedic buddy cop movies, there’s a good amount of action, and it all looks pretty good considering it’s not an action movie. Maybe the shoot out scene isn’t all that believable, but it’s both exciting and funny, and the movie opens with Cube in a fun chase sequence. Overall the movie has a clean look and feel that allows the comedy to be up front and present.
 

Do I want to see it again?
I wouldn’t say Ride Along is a movie that I’d watch over and over (like a couple of the buddy cop movies that show up in the Similar Recommendations below), but it’s got enough laughs and enough Kevin Hart to make a second viewing enjoyable.
 

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,”21 Jump Street: One of the most hilarious buddy cop movies I’ve ever seen. I had mixed feelings about this adaptation from the start, being mostly unsure about Channing Tatum’s comedic abilities, but the dude totally surprised me. There is a scene where he’s high on drugs and gets confronted by Rob Riggle as the P.E. Teacher that is hysterical. The entire movie kept me laughing and left me wanting more. Written by Michael Bacall and Jonah Hill. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. (Buy it on Amazon.com: Streaming, DVD, Blu-ray).”

,”Bad Boys: When you combine two comedians in the role of the cops and a director who was probably born out of two planes crashing midair in a terrific explosion, as opposed to the normal way babies are born, you get Bad Boys, a buddy cop movie that is as funny as it is thrilling. The action is good, the chemistry between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence is great, the story has weight. This is a favorite for sure. Directed by Michael Bay. (Buy it on Amazon.com: Streaming, DVD, Blu-ray).”

,”Hot Fuzz: It’d be easy to call this a parody of buddy cop movies, but it does more than just good-naturedly mock the genre. It loves the genre and manages to be a good entry in it even as it pokes fun at it. Pegg, Frost and Wright have this amazing ability to create quick witted, funny movies that mix action and heart in a way that is really impactful and memorable. Another favorite. Easy. It was written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, and Wright directed it. (Buy it on Amazon.com: Streaming, DVD/Blu-ray)”
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