Ride Along Review

Rated PG-13 (Sequences of Violence, Sexual Content and Brief Strong Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 39 Minutes

Cast-

Kevin Hart-Ben Barber

O'Shea Jackson/Ice Cube-James Payton

Tika Sumpter-Angela Payton

John Leguizamo-Santiago

Bryan Callen-Miggs

Bruce McGill-Lieutenant Brooks

[REDACTED]-Omar

Dragos Bucur-Marko

Gary Owen-Crazy Cody

Jacob Latimore-Ramon

Jay Pharoah-Runflat

Benjamin 'Lil P-Nut' Flores-Morris the Kid

Directed by Tim Story

I'm gonna be just like you when I grow up!

Note: At AMC Loews 34th Street 14.

Kevin Hart's particular brand of comedy won't appeal to everyone given that humor is often subjective but regardless of whether you find him funny or not, you still have to admire the man's work ethic and the way he successfully turned his career around. Back in 2004, the up-and-coming stand-up comedian landed his first leading role in Jessy Terrero's "Soul Plane" but this raunchy sendup to 1980 comedy classic "Airplane!" crashed and burned at the box office, grossing only $14.8 million worldwide against a $16 million production budget. Critics thoroughly trashed the film as well (it currently has an 18% on Rotten Tomatoes) and worse, a bootleg copy was widely available among street venders over a month before its release. Hart's career troubles didn't end there as his ABC sitcom "The Big House" (a reversed take on NBC's "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air") was cancelled after airing just six episodes. Retreating from the limelight following these two failures, Hart spent the next five years honing his comedic craft and began to build up a sizable fan-base via social media. He kicked off his comedy tours in 2009 with "I'm a Grown Little Man" but it was 2011's "Laugh at My Pain" that once again put him on Hollywood's radar. That tour grossed over $15 million across ninety cities, making it one of the top-selling comedy tours of that year. Hart's career has shown no signs of slowing down; his 2012 tour "Let Me Explain" generated $32 million in ticket sales and the concert doc based on it (released last summer) became the fourth highest-grossing stand-up comedy film ever. This year, Hart is starring in three films and the first to arrive is "Ride Along" directed by Tim Story. Hart has already proven himself to be a very talented comedian but his livewire presence just isn't enough to save "Ride Along," a dull buddy-cop film that wildly veers between mean-spirited and campy territory while offering precious few laughs.

Avid video-gamer Ben Barber (Kevin Hart) is a high school security guard whose dream of becoming a real police officer just came true when he learns that he's been accepted into the academy. Proud of his accomplishment, Ben decides to propose to his long-term girlfriend Angela Payton (Tika Sumpter) but this doesn't sit well with her intimidating older brother James (Ice Cube), a rebellious, tough-as-nails cop for the Atlanta PD who believes that Ben isn't man enough for the sister he raised. Eager to get James' blessing, Ben reveals his intention of becoming a police officer and offers to prove to him that he's worthy of asking for Angela's hand in marriage. This gives James an idea: he'll agree to give his blessing if Ben shows that he's got what it takes to be a police officer by accompanying him on a 'ride along' for one day. The aspiring cop readily agrees but his incompetence and fear gets the better of him as he's forced into one embarrassing (and dangerous) situation after another. Meanwhile, James defies his captain's (Bruce McGill) orders and independently continues his pursuit of a man named 'Omar,' a shadowy crime lord out to control Atlanta. Just when he's about to give up his dream, Ben inadvertently discovers a lead on Omar and slowly but surely earns the grudging respect of James. With no back-up arriving anytime soon, James reluctantly puts his trust in Ben as the two try to bring the gun kingpin to justice.

If I had to choose a director that defined the word mediocrity, it would be Tim Story. For the past eleven years, the only film in his dubious résumé to have received positive reviews is his feature debut "Barbershop" (82% on Rotten Tomatoes) yet people continue to flock to theaters to see his movies. His two "Fantastic Four" films is a prime example of how not to adapt a comic book for the big screen as Story completely neutered Dr. Doom, one of the most well-known and fearsome villains of the Marvel Universe, and transformed the planet-eating entity Galactus into a giant storm cloud in space. However, the biggest problem I have with him is that he shows absolutely no passion or enthusiasm in his direction. It's like he's content with just coasting on bland, which is what "Ride Along" suffers from. The first of two new releases from Story (the other is the romantic comedy sequel "Think Like a Man Too," out this June), this buddy-cop action comedy offers little in the way of originality with its trite script, which is credited to four writers (Greg Coolidge, Jason Mantzoukas, Phil Hay, and Matt Manfredi). Apparently, this film has been in development at New Line Cinema since 2009, with Kevin Hart's character originally an upper-class white psychiatrist before Universal brought the distribution rights in 2012. Finally out in theaters, the stretch marks in the script definitely show as the material has been progressively watered-down through overwriting. There's an amusing bit where Ben spots a student (Jacob Latimore) skipping English class to get drunk with his friends, prompting the security guard to give a crazy lecture on how drinking will eventually lead to the kid becoming a sad, legless war veteran. It's one of the few genuinely funny moments in the film but why does Ben only help this one student while ignoring all the others? It just reeks of an abandoned subplot due to having too many cooks in the kitchen.

While the interplay between Hart and Ice Cube makes "Ride Along" a tolerable viewing experience for the most part, the comedy never finds the right tone and often veers wildly between mean-spiritedness and campiness. The story tries to make the viewer sympathize with James as he had a difficult childhood and was forced to raise his little sister by himself following the sudden death of their parents but that still doesn't excuse the juvenile (and very illegal) hazing that he subjects Ben to. Rather than let the police academy weed him out, James takes Ben on a 'ride along' so that the little man can prove he has what it takes to be a cop yet how can he when he neither has the training nor the experience. Not to mention that James even goes so far as to engineer a disturbance at a farmer's market, just so he can watch Ben fail and laugh about it later. Obviously, you expect Ben to toughen up and show his future brother-in-law that he was born to be a cop but the film goes about this in the most idiotic manner possible. Apparently, one can become a capable police officer by simply playing a lot of video games. All those hours spent playing first-person shooters have made Ben an expert on military-grade weaponry. Now, I'm an avid gamer myself but just because I play "Battlefield 4" does not mean I'm ready to join the army. Although I don't expect much from a comedy released in the middle of January, I do at least expect it to be funny and most importantly, not blatantly insult my intelligence.

They're not able to rescue the picture from mediocrity but Kevin Hart and Ice Cube prevent "Ride Along" from becoming a total train wreck. If there's any reason to sit through this film, it's Hart as he puts in the effort to sell every lame joke and slapstick routine despite having his hands tied by the PG-13 rating. Some of the situations his character gets himself in—like getting a group of bikers to move from a handicap spot or persuading a child to give up his criminal brother—feel too doctored to be plausible (even by sitcom standards) yet the comedian is still able to garner a few laughs thanks to his boundless energy and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, there's only so much Hart can do with material that's been so thoroughly dumbed-down. A walking cliché of the 'renegade cop,' Ice Cube spends much of the film shouting 'Bullsh*t!' with a permanent scowl on his face and his character isn't very likable but he remains a solid straight man, knowing when to stay out of Hart's way and allow the fast-talking funnyman to improvise. The rest of the supporting cast adds little with their roles. Tika Sumpter's Angela is essentially a MacGuffin to keep Ben and James at odds with each other until the script calls for her to be another run-of-the-mill damsel-in-distress. John Leguizamo and Bryan Callen barely make an impression as James' fellow officers while the actor who plays crime lord Omar (which I won't spoil but a quick check on IMDB will reveal who it is) seems to be going through the motions for a paycheck.

Released on January 17, 2014, "Ride Along" has received largely dismal reviews with a paltry 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that 'Kevin Hart's livewire presence gives [the film] a shot of necessary energy, but it isn't enough to rescue this would-be comedy from the buddy-cop doldrums.' Audiences thought differently however as it cruised to a record-breaking $48.6 million over the Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, surpassing previous record-holder "Cloverfield," which was released back in 2008. The action comedy is poised to be the first $100 million hit of the year, with Universal already prepping for a sequel. While I understand that most people go to the theater to escape life's troubles, shouldn't there be sort of standard here? Not only did my audience thoroughly enjoy "Ride Along" but they were positively hysterical during the trailer for "A Haunted House 2." This makes me feel sad. "Ride Along" had the potential to be the first legitimately funny comedy of 2014 but instead it's a series of watered-down jokes coupled with generic action and tired buddy cop clichés. Honestly, Hart deserves better.

Final Rating: 2 out of 5

"Hey! You're white! You're white! You don't fight!"