Critical Capsule: Ride Along

So, Ride Along arrived, pushed back from its original Fall release to a January slot. To me, that signifies a lack of confidence on the part of the studio. Based on the crowds and reaction I saw opening night, I think they needn't have been worried. Ride Along will do just fine and will likely do well enough to allow for a sequel. Still, that doesn't mean the movie is good, just that it plays well to the masses. Sure, I laughed a little, but it really isn't all that good. I found it likable enough, but underdeveloped and completely forgettable. It has barely been a day since I have seen it and the details are already slipping away.



The movie delivers a comedic twist on Training Day (which is referenced a few times throughout the film). Kevin Hart is Ben, aka BlackHammer, and the quick talking security guard has two things on his agenda, marrying his girlfriend, Angela (Tika Sumpter), and go to the police academy. The problem is that before he can ask her to marry him, he needs to get the blessing of her tough police detective brother, James (Ice Cube).

James's idea of seeing what Ben is made of is to take him on a ride along. What starts as a serious of annoying disturbance type calls, turns into a deadly serious (but in a comedic fashion of course) situation when a mysterious crime boss James has been pursuing turns up.

That pretty much sums it up. It has a couple of funny moments, already seen in the trailers, but overall does not really go much of anywhere. It could have been really funny had they taken time to develop the premise, instead it feels hastily rewritten when the original stars did not come on board (rumor has it that it was originally slated to star Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds). The end result has a couple moments but ultimately fails to satisfy or give any type of memorable film.

It may not exactly be a terrible movie, but it is certainly lack all the way around. It is a movie of missed opportunity and lost imagination.

Not Recommended.