“Ride Along” is a funny movie with a simple story. Kevin Hart is versatile in his role as Ben, going from the “Call of Duty” gamer to being an excitable person holding his first gun or being loopy from a morphine induced state. Hart does it all and this kind of holds the movie together.
Ben (Hart) has spent two years working as a school security guard, but he is trying to become a cop. Ben wants to ask his girlfriend, Angela (Tika Sumpter), to marry him, but in order to get the girl, he has to get the approval of her brother, James (Ice Cube). James is a hot-tempered cop who just sees Ben as a video game junkie who is unworthy of his sister. When Ben gets accepted into the police academy he thinks he has earned James’ respect and asks for Angela’s hand. In order to prove himself he goes on a ride along that was meant to break him. As events unfold, Ben finds himself entangled in James’ latest case and the two find themselves face to face with the city’s most notorious criminal.
Cube has his moments in the spotlight, but tends to take the backseat compared to Hart. His tough demeanor plays a big part of the little humor he gives off. His performance comes off a tad stale, but when the two actors are together it is magical. The two feed off each other’s energy and create loads of laughter.
However, if you are looking for a movie with a great story that keeps you guessing, this is not it. There are many cliches and it can get very predictable. Big surprise that there are crooked cops, the girl gets kidnapped, and the little guy saves the day. All these elements add up to a mediocre movie that is salvaged by the many jokes of Hart and the few from Cube.