1.5 stars (out of 5)
The mystifyingly popular Kevin Hart returns for this sequel to 2014’s first Ride Along and once again imitates the kind of shrieking wannabe-comic stylings that Chris Tucker was doing back in the ‘90s in those Rush Hour pics, until he got too old (or too bored). And here he’s paired with the formidable Ice Cube once more, and there are times when Ice looks like he wants to throttle his co-star, as do we.
The first film’s director Tim Story’s also on board and he can’t do anything much with this material, especially as it’s even more preposterous than before, with Atlanta detective James Payton (Ice) reluctantly working with rookie beat cop Ben Barber (Kevin) to please Angela (Tika Sumpter), James’ sister who’s soon to marry Ben (and why she’d want to do such a thing is just one of endless credibility gaps here). James becomes aware of a whole lame plot happening in Miami and wants to get involved, and while he seriously doesn’t want Ben there (especially after a ludicrous opening credit sequence), he still agrees to it. Why? To professionally embarrass Ben, his soon-to-be-brother-in-law, and prevent him from being promoted. Families, huh?
Soon after they’ve arrived in Miami, hooked up with another detective (Olivia Munn as Maya and a long way from TV’s The Newsroom) and are chasing around an informant named AJ, who’s played with standard awfulness by Ken Jeong and goes head-to-head with Kevin in the horribly over-the-top ham department. And this has all got something to do with a drug-kingpin baddie who’s infiltrated the local police force and government, and he’s dully played by the dreary Benjamin Bratt because Robert De Niro was busy.
This hopelessly absurd storyline doesn’t make much sense but that’s not really the point here, as fans of Kevin Hart (hello out there!!!) have paid good money to see their hero do his hideous thing, and he certainly does it, as the Iceman looks on sneering. And you would too.
I Wake Up Screening 