Ride Along parents guide

Ride Along Parent Guide

For one brief moment in "Ride Along", I thought this movie was going to surprise me. But by the halfway point, I began to sense the blitheness of my optimism.

Overall C-

What would you do to get the girl of your dreams? For Ben (Kevin Hart), a security guard with dreams of joining the police force, it is proving his worthiness to his girlfriend's (Tika Sumpter) over protective brother James (Ice Cube) -- who happens to be a cop. To do so Ben agrees to ride along with James on a typical workday.

Release date January 17, 2014

Violence D+
Sexual Content C+
Profanity D+
Substance Use B+

Why is Ride Along rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Ride Along PG-13 for sequences of violence, sexual content and brief strong language.

Run Time: 100 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

For one brief moment in Ride Along I thought this movie was going to surprise me. Yes, it’s a buddy cop movie and (no surprise) there are two men with very different perspectives who are eventually stuck together in a police car.

Ben (Kevin Hart) is a high school security guard by day. In the evening he’s a video game junkie fighting a virtual war in Afghanistan. Unthinkingly, he can ignore his model-perfect, live-in girlfriend Angela (Tika Sumpter) wearing only a silk pajama top standing next to his 60-inch flat screen TV. Yet somehow this joystick commando manages to get a shot at his dream job when he is accepted as a trainee in the Atlanta police force.

James Payton (Ice Cube), an Atlanta officer, is a tough, my-way-or-else kind of cop. With his cohorts Santiago and Miggs (John Leguizamo and Bryan Callen), he is trying his best to crack a big arms deal. But when James discovers Ben could soon be a part of Atlanta’s finest, it becomes one more reason for James to dislike the guy who also happens to be his sister Angela’s boyfriend.

Now, with his letter of acceptance in hand, the wisecracking Ben whines, pleads and demands respect—all without taking a breath. To appease his determination to prove himself, big brother James agrees to a “ride along” for one day so that Ben can see that, in reality, violence is not a game. He also agrees that if Ben can prove his ability to handle whatever the day throws at him James will grant his blessing on the plan for Ben to marry Angela.

That’s when my hopes began to kindle. There, sitting in my seat, eager to embrace one of the first new films of 2014, my mind began to believe the team of writers who penned this script were going to create a profound message about the fallacies of virtual violence and contrast them to the reality of the work-a-day life of an Atlanta cop. And this thoughtful lesson was to be delivered by none other than… Ice Cube?

Bullets, bombs, bad guys and big-busted babes provide the eye-candy that fuels most of the action in this movie. At least a dozen unimportant characters are shot, while those with speaking parts usually have the incredible gift of taking the bullet to the shoulder or leg and still keep walking and fighting. Parents willing to consider this movie for teen viewing will also need to factor in frequent sexual discussions during the opening act that include crude and anatomical terms, along with dozens of profanities and a sexual expletive.

By the halfway point, with guns still blasting, strippers cowering (yes, one of the many situations they must deal with during the day involves two armed men in a nightclub full of bikini-clad women) and Ben’s video game “skills” suddenly providing clues in the big case, I’m beginning to sense the blitheness of my optimism. No, there aren’t going to be any pleasant surprises on this script. What messages are presented support the notion that valuable knowledge can result from a video game obsession. By the time the credits roll, this Ride Along arrives at the conclusion you would expect from a buddy cop movie starring a former musician controversially known for his violent lyrics.

Directed by Tim Story. Starring Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, John Leguizamo, Tika Sumpter. Running time: 100 minutes. Theatrical release January 17, 2014. Updated

Ride Along
Rating & Content Info

Why is Ride Along rated PG-13? Ride Along is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sequences of violence, sexual content and brief strong language.

Violence: Various scenes depict altercations between police and civilians, and many show the use of guns being shot to subdue, injure and sometimes kill assailants. Car chases include people running for cover and property damage. In one scene a man, posing as a police officer, verbally threatens another who is withholding information and haphazardly shoots the man in the shoulder. Men with guns hold women in a strip club hostage. Men invade an apartment, tie a woman to a chair and make threats toward her. At a shooting range an inexperienced character uses weapons in a dangerous manner. Within a video game a character’s leg is dismembered by an explosion and while laying on the ground many other game characters repeatedly shoot his body.

Sexual Content: A couple begins embracing passionately and engaging in sexual dialogue, but are interrupted. Sexual discussions involving clinical and crude anatomical terms are heard in a couple of scenes. After approaching a young boy on a school playground a man is accused of being a pedophile. Women are seen in bikinis while working in a strip club.

Language: Frequent scatological and other mild and moderate profanities. A sexual expletive is used in a non-sexual contest. Infrequent crude and clinical sexual references and discussion are heard.

Alcohol / Drug Use: People are drinking in a bar.

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Ride Along Parents' Guide

Do you think violent video games can affect the way a person reacts to actual violent situations? In this movie Ben, who plays violent games, is often overcome with fear when facing actual violent situations. Do you think that’s an accurate depiction? If you have seen the movie, do you think Ben’s actions in the final scene are consistent with his earlier reactions?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Ride Along movie is April 15, 2014. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Ride Along

Release Date: 15 April 2014

Ride Along releases to home video (Blu ray/DVD/Digital Copy) with the following extras:

- Gag Reel

- It Was A Good Day: On The Set Of Ride Along

- Atlanta – The Character

- Director’s Commentary

- Alternate Ending

- Deleted Scenes & Alternate Take

- Short Feature: Kev & Cube’s Wild Ride

- Featurette: An Explosive Ride: Behind the scenes with the stars and their stunt doubles.

- Featurette: You Gonna Learn Today: An inside look at the film’s off-script moments including b-roll, dailies and alternate takes.

- Featurette: Anatomy of the Big Blast: Watch as the cast and crew prep for the movie’s most explosive sequence!

Related home video titles:

Another security guard gets a taste of real law enforcement in Paul Blart Mall Cop. And a husband and wife see the darker side of their city when something goes terribly awry on their Date Night.

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