I Saw That!

One woman's opinions about popular entertainment.

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Location: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Amateur boxing coach, Christian (but not so heavenly-minded that I'm no earthly good) singer, writer, self-defense advocate, childfree. feminist www.smartwomenboxingtraining.org

Saturday, February 08, 2014

Ride Along (2014)


Manic comic Kevin Hart and former NWA member Ice Cube headline this buddy comedy.  James (Ice Cube) is not crazy about Ben (Kevin Hart), the guy his sister Angela (Tika Sumpter) loves.  Ben gets accepted into the police academy and declares his intention to marry Angela.  James, a cop, decides to test Ben's fortitude by taking him along for the day as he goes about his job.  Ben is subjected to various scenarios designed to humiliate Ben, while James tries to track down someone who's planning to bring a shipment of guns into Atlanta.

I've seen Ice Cube in better projects, most notably, Boyz In The Hood (1991) and Barbershop (2002).  I like Kevin Hart as a comedian, but I have yet to see him in a good movie other than his comedy concert films.  There's a plot twist that can be seen from miles away.  It was no surprise to me when it was fully revealed late in the movie.  Unfortunately, most of the movie is the usual that audiences have seen many times before.  Hart dishes up his trademark non-stop patter, but here, it seems a little less would have worked better.

Gary Owen (Think Like A Man) has a small role, and singer Angie Stone appears briefly in a scene.  John Leguizamo (Ice Age), Bryan Callen ("Mad TV"), and Bruce McGill (National Lampoon's Animal House) appear as cops working alongside Ice Cube's character.

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