Plot
Fast-talking security guard Ben joins his cop brother-in-law James on a 24-hour patrol of Atlanta in order to prove himself worthy of marrying Angela, James' sister.
Release Year: 2014
Rating: 6.8/10 (687 voted)
Director:Tim Story
Storyline
Fast-talking security guard Ben joins his cop brother-in-law James on a 24-hour patrol of Atlanta in order to prove himself worthy of marrying Angela, James' sister.
Writers: ,
Taglines:
Propose to this cop's sister? Rookie mistake.
Trivia:
Director Tim Story encouraged the cast to improvise majority of their dialogue. See more »
Quotes:
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User Review
Author:
Rating: 6/10
Fresh off of his hit stand-up comedy film, "Let Me Explain," Kevin Hart
returns to the big screen with "Ride Along." While it may be far from
the most memorable comedy, I can't help but admit I enjoyed sitting
through it.
Kevin Hart plays Ben, an eccentric man who wants to marry the love of
his life, Angela (played by Tika Sumpter). Before he does, he seeks to
get the blessing of her brother James (played by Ice Cube), a tough,
loose cannon cop. In order to prove he's worthy of marrying James'
sister, Ben must join James on a day on his job as an officer.
Eventually, the two get wrapped up in a case neither of them were
expecting.
As expected, the film plays out like a typical buddy-cop comedy: a cop
teams up with someone he doesn't like or agree with and the two have to
attempt get along. While this basic plot line has indeed been done to
death, this film makes the fortunate decision to skip out on many movie
clichés. There is no third-act-breakup, no mopey montage, and no
"you're off the case" or "you're fired" scene. While a lack of these
clichés does hamper the conflict, it is quite refreshing to see them
absent from the film. On the other hand, the script lends itself to
other flaws. Several scenes seem to be included for the sole purpose of
filling time (such as a random cameo by Jacob Latimore that amounts to
nothing). Moreover, the story can be very predictable at time, even
with a couple of random and nonsensical plot twists thrown in. Still
though, there is a lot of good to this film.
The dialogue, while far from quotable, is consistently funny and is
almost guaranteed to keep the theater laughing. The jokes are delivered
on a regular basis and never stray too far into campy or mean-spirited
territory. Unlike films like "Identity Thief" and "A Madea Christmas,"
the tone of the film never strays from a comedic romp and always keeps
the laughs coming.
Kevin Hart's performance itself is arguably worth the price of
admission. Hart's lines are delivered with the impression that he is
enjoying making this movie, and his high-energy presence is sure to
please his fans. If you are a fan of Kevin Hart, you will most likely
enjoy his screen-presence and his great chemistry with Ice Cube even if
you find the script to be lacking.
"Ride Along," may not go down as a comedic legend, but in my eyes, it
is certainly worth checking out at least as a rental. The flawed script
can indeed be overlooked by the gleeful dialogue and Kevin Hart's
enthusiasm. I'd say give it a shot, it wouldn't hurt to check it out.
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