Review of Ride Along (2014) by Thomas W — 24 Sep 2014

Ben and Angela are in love and they hoping to get married but Angela's older over-achiever brother, James, disapproves of her choice of future-husband. The stubborn Ben will stop at (just about) nothing to try to win-over James' necessary approval.

When security guard and Police Academy applicant Ben (Kevin Hart - Grudge Match) is asked to Ride Along with police officer James (Ice Cube - 21 Jump Street), he believes he's been asked as a sign of respect for his future prospects and as a courtesy to his future bride (Tika Sumpter - Salt); but the truth is James still dislikes Ben and wants to give him a Ride Along from hell as James friends and fellow officers stage phone calls and other various encounters throughout the day to make Ben drop out of the Academy and break up with James's sister in the process.

Only ... not everything goes as planned as live-wire Ben doesn't always play along and even escalates a few situations to dangerous levels. When the two guys unsuspectingly stumble upon an actual arms deal involving one of the city's most notorious criminals (Laurence Fishburne - What's Love Got to Do with It?), Ben believes it is just the latest gag to be pulled on him and when all hell breaks loose .

.. he decides to play along! John Leguizamo (Romeo + Juliet), Bruce McGill (Law Abiding Citizen), Jay Pharoah ('SNL') and Bryan Callen (Warrior) co-star in this mostly generic riff on buddy-cop comedies.