By Jissele Wright

“Ride Along”, released on Universal Pictures in January of 2014, features Kevin Hart and Ice Cube in an action comedy set in Atlanta Georgia. The film, directed by Tim Story, includes explosions, car chases, and risque humor that aims at its male dominated audience. Other works of Story’s include “Think Like a Man”, “Fantastic Four”, “Taxi”, and “Barbershop”.

The film follows high school security guard and video game junkie Ben Barber (Hart) on his misadventure with his future brother-in-law, Detective James Payton (Ice Cube). Newly accepted to the Atlanta police academy, Barber plans to propose to his girlfriend Angela Payton (Tika Sumpter), he just needs her brother’s blessing first, but due to a prior incident that happened between the two, this proves difficult. Payton invites Barber to join him on a patrol to prove himself. Barber, who’s down for the task, accepts. The film centers around the loose cannon detective and the talkative-to-the-point-of-annoyance security guard fighting crime throughout the day.

While “Ride Along” grossed in the millions (some $12.3 million during Super Bowl weekend) it’s just another run of the mill, partners against crime movie. The film doesn’t fit under the umbrella of amazing in any way, shape, or form. While some argue that it’s a comedy, that’s no excuse for mediocre work. The concept needs a new spin; if a writer plans on creating a film like this, a certain uniqueness must be added.

Although “Ride Along” might seem like a comedy with nothing to offer but laughs, it does contain a bit of a moral, the moral being that people mess up, a lot some sometimes, and you need to accept that and move on.

Recommended for those who loved films like “The Heat” and “Taxi”, this action packed comedy would make any guy laugh. Tim Story plans to work with Kevin Hart and Ice Cube on “Ride Along 2”. The exact release date and other information for the sequel is to be determined.