MOVIE REVIEWS: RIDE ALONG

Most critics are deriding Ride Along, the action comedy starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. Joe Morgenstern in the Wall Street Journal is one of several critics who remarks that this is the sort of film often release during the dumping ground of January. “Tis the season to be shoddy,” writes Morgenstern,” adding, “Still, Ride Along … gives shoddiness a bad name.” David Hiltbrand in the Philadelphia Inquirer appears reluctant to come down too hard on the film, commenting: “There’s nothing odious about Ride Along, just empty. This is appeasement, not entertainment.” Bruce DeMara in the Toronto Star notes that it’s “another in a long line of buddy comedies that aim to milk laughs from two mismatched characters.” He then notes “Too bad this one turns out to be a bum trip.” But Neil Genzlinger in the New York Times is willing to cut it some slack. “The plot twists are easily guessed,” he writes, “and the film goes on for one predicament too long, but there are some good laughs.” Scott Bowles in USA Today credits Kevin Hart for bringing off those laughs. “Ride Along nearly breaks down when Hart is off-screen,” he concludes. “And there’s no telling what the actor could do with real material.”