Movie Review: Ride Along.

Ride Along-movie review
Expecting to die laughing from this movie? Rookie mistake.

There was an era when low budget, black action comedy was thriving. Films like All About the Benjamins, Big Mamma and Friday were an excuse to escape for a good hour and a half to just let down your hair...err...afro, and laugh. It was fun because you weren’t sure whether they were bout to bust a cap in yo ass, or tell a joke, which made it all the more humorous. And then Michael Bay’s Bad Boys 2 came along and changed the game.

Ride Along is a return to that era and the Cube-Hart partnership came at an opportune time. A nervous ‘Yes’ was probably the response to Ice Cube’s incessant ‘Are We There Yet?’ query to his expiring career trajectory (see what I did there?), whereas Kevin Hart is in his moment. His stand up stuff is a hit and the screen can’t get enough of him...buuut you know what, the fat lady is starting to clear her throat.

Ben Barber (Kevin Hart) is a short, fumbling, security guard/aspiring police officer who can somehow afford an HD TV and a 24 hour online gaming system. He also happens to be dating a tall hottie, the sister of a veteran bad ass cop, James Payton (Ice Cube) who is trying to bring down an elusive crime lord called Omar. Barber is desperate to impress Payton, the only family his girl has and so tags along on Payton’s shift. Before long we get 'I'm short', fumbling, let me 'explain myself' jokes. I've already seen that stuff a thousand times before with Kevin Hart...and it’s getting worrying because he’s got like 99 other projects coming up and needs to learn to diversify quick.

The story is relatable enough though. Having gone through several foster care homes with his sister, Payton wants a man who can take care of her, and Barber wants to show that he’s that man, even though he’s constantly needing Payton to bail him out when his ever yapping mouth gets him in sticky situations.

Although at times it almost felt like the Two Stooges from the hood, there are some genuinely funny moments; though most of those you saw on the trailer. The action isn’t half bad but not good either and I’ll admit, there was good chemistry between the lead actors.

There is a neat little twist at the end but I thought that Laurence Fishburne did not fit his role. It’s a bit of a surprise reveal, so I won’t say too much about it other than, it was not your typical Fishburne role, hence for me it just didn't work. Not because you can’t be diverse, but it didn't fit him.

All in all, it’s a good little film. Trust me, I expected a lot worse from the director of the worst comic book film franchise of all time. The silver lining (get it? Silver? No? Oh well..) is that after making more than quadruple its budget at the box office, the  sequel has already been announced.

My rating: 6.5/10