Ride Along

The buddy-cop action comedy has cemented itself as a part of Hollywood and while there have been some excellent examples of the genre (21 Jump Street, Bad Boys) there have also been some downright abysmal attempts (R.I.P.D., Cop Out). Ride Along is the latest film to tackle the dysfunctional dynamic between two people and manages to fall somewhere in the middle.

Kevin Hart stars as Ben Barber, a low level high school security guard who has dreams of being a detective with the Atlanta Police Department. Coincidently, his girlfriend’s brother James (Ice Cube) works for the APD. Unfortunately for him, James doesn’t believe he’s man enough to be dating his sister, let alone a detective at the department. In an effort to crush his spirit, James invites Ben on a ride along with him. If Ben can last one day without screwing things up or chickening out, he’ll have James’ blessing to marry his sister.

Ride Along delivers exactly what you would expect out of the buddy cop genre. Kevin Hart plays the immature and inexperienced part well while Ice Cube is the hard ass veteran. Their dynamic together is tolerable, but I wanted more from Ice Cube in particular. Hart is surprisingly funny with his over-the-top antics that make you question how he became a security guard in the first place. While it’s nice to see a contrast to that, Ice Cube often times feels like dead weight. Instead, you’re just waiting for the next scene where Hart does something outrageous.

There aren’t many surprises with Ride Along. James doesn’t like Ben. Ben tries to prove himself to James. James’ attempt at scaring Ben away backfires after the two get caught up in a real situation, and they bond together. It’s fairly typical stuff, and while the film does a decent job with the material, there’s nothing particularly spectacular about it.

Ride Along offers a few lingering laughs mainly from Kevin Hart. It’s suitable for a quick laugh but if you want anything more, it’s best to look elsewhere.