Mise à l'épreuve

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK) Rating: 3/5 stars

Lighthearted, easily pleasing, simplistic, formulaic, yet sufficiently entertaining buddy-cop action comedy. What it lacks in memorable action, it makes up for in it's funny scenes and dialogues. Buddy-cop action comedies are never about great plot-lines. unexpected twists, and riveting direction; so we don;t expect "Ride Along" to be any different. But where it fails to enter the elite in its genre, is the apparent lack of memorable chemistry between Ice Cube and Kevin Hart.

Don't get me wrong, they are both affable in their respective roles and Kevin Hart is actually funny (even though he isn't in the same league as Eddie Murphy). But as the two main leads, they don't feed of each other and create that sizzling chemistry which elevated films like "48 Hrs.", "Lethal Weapon 1 & 2", "Midnight Run", "Beverly Hills Cop 1 & 2", "Hot Fuzz", "Rush Hour 1 & 2", City Heat", "Red Heat", "Dhoom 1 & 2", and "Last Action Hero" to certified classics.

Also, though the film has some decent action scenes, they are completely derived and none of the scenes stand out as fresh and long-lasting. What actually holds "Ride Along" together are the quirky and natural humor of Kevin Hart and the deadpan personality of Ice Cube. It's good and entertaining enough for passing time on a lazy afternoon.

When you think of Ice Cube you think of the hardcore rapper from NWA, the gangster persona, not complex actor. Yet since becoming an actor Ice Cube; real name (O'Shea Jackson), has developed himself into quite the character actor. The comedic prescence of Kevin Hart and this budding police comedy brings the movie full tilt. There is a great story line that suggests looking for comfort and approval betweent Hart's character and Cube's. There are hilarious comments throughout the film and the writing was quite original. This is a great movie with strength in the plot, the characters and just fun throughout. There is no doubt I would highly recommend this to everyone. Kevin Hart is becoming the fast uprising comedic actor of late.

The idea of doing a comic take on the serious drama "Training Day" may sound strange at first, but they say there are no bad ideas, just bad execution of ideas. While "Ride Along" isn't a bad comedy, at its best it is just mildly amusing. I think a big reason why it isn't funnier than it is is due to the screenplay being very predictable. Once you know the premise of the movie, you can pretty much predict what is going to happen some time before it actually does. The screenplay (written by FOUR screenwriters!) should have been wilder in both its humor and with the plot. But as I said, there are still some amusing moments here and there. What really does keep the movie afloat are the performances by the two leads, Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. They both give very appealing performances and show that they are up to the challenge of whatever the screenplay and direction could throw at them. It's a pity, though, that they weren't given much material that was more biting in nature.

Good fun film with some good action and a decent story which was pretty original. The partnership between Ice cube and Kevin hart was also great.

I love Kevin Hart don't get me wrong. His stand up is hilarious and I also love Ice Cube's movies AND the two of them have great chemistry on screen and all but....it wasn't that funny. This movie had its' funny parts but the problem is most of them you already saw on the preview. This won't go on my list of funniest movies I've ever seen but it had decent action and decent humor. It had a little twist toward the end but thinking of the premise movies like Meet the Parents were funnier or Twenty one jump street or The Heat but what can I say it was filmed well and the two of them together provided enough entertainment so the film is worth a watch.