Plot: Ben Barber (Hart) is a beat cop now, still finding a way be James Payton's (Ice Cube) problem. They go to Miami to investigate a lead on a case and get caught in the middle of a conspiracy involving the port commissioner and one of the city's most influential businessmen. Needless to say, things get complicated and Ben doesn't make it any easier.
Thoughts:
I saw the first Ride Along. It was fine. Hart and Cube have an easy chemistry. That dynamic is about as textbook as it gets. What makes it fun this time is the introduction of their analogues. Munn is the female Cube (no surprise that those two are romantically paired). Jeong is very much the same as Hart. Most of the fun of the movie comes from how it mixes and matches those four at different times, Hart or Cube being the odd man out depending the configuration.
It's pretty ridiculous the number of jokes that were spoiled in the trailers. You see, Kevin Hart's humor doesn't really need context. He's going to yell. He's going to screw something up. He's going to get hurt. As a result, joke after joke from throughout the movie was used in previews. It's a common joke that people say after seeing a movie: "I bet that's every good scene in the movie"*. In this case though, it's not far off. A lot of it is still fun, but the ad department kept stepping on all their jokes. That was disappointing.
*Seriously though, people need to stop saying that. It's almost never true. and saying that stopped being clever before I was even born. Just say what you really mean: "This movie doesn't look good" and save us all your attempt at wit.
This is not a movie to be taken seriously, so it doesn't really matter that the story is gibberish. Director Tim Story is clearly more focused on the comedic elements than any of the action, which makes sense when you look at his credits (Barbershop, Taxi, Think Like a Man, Fantastic Four). That's not a bad thing either. It's not like the Jump Street movies are believable. They are funnier though (albeit in a much different way).
Elephant in the Room: Is Kevin Hart any good as a cop? No. They try even less this time to prove that he has merits. He's still sort of a weapons expert and they add a video game driving mode. His skills as a cop most of the time come down to "sometimes you have to smile" which is a lesson Cube really should've learned already if I'm to believe that he's as good a detective as the movie says. Hart absolutely shouldn't be on the force.
Movie Theater MVP: This goes to the guy sitting behind me who, after every trailer, announced to the theater, via the person he was talking loud6ly to, that he was going to have to see that movie. He quieted down a lot when the movie started, but damn did he love those previews. I don't share his opinion on Fifty Shades of Black, although we are in agreement on Neighbors 2.
To Sum Things Up:
Whatever your opinion is of the first movie, it will be exactly the same about this. Hart and Cube are fun. The jokes are easy. The story is simple. The extras are attractive. What more could you be expecting from this?
Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend
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