Ride Along

Ride Along - Dir. Tim Story (2014)

Is there anything new to say about the buddy cop movie? Recent attempts like The Other Guys and 21 Jump Street brought the laughs by lampooning the genre and satirizing action movies in general. Ride Along is perfectly happy to coast on every convention established since 1982's 48 Hrs. Not a surprise since Kevin Hart has long aspired to having a career like Eddie Murphy and comparisons between the two have been made by many. Hart is perfectly cast as the fast-talking comedic foil while Ice Cube steps into the Nick Nolte role as the stern and short-tempered straight man.

Hart is Ben Barber, a high school security guard in Atlanta who loves playing first person shooting games. He's just proposed to his beautiful girlfriend Angela (Tika Sumpter) and been accepted into the police academy. Ben should be content with his life if not for Angela's other brother James (Cube). James is a hard-nosed detective who doesn't believe Ben is worthy of marrying his sister, let alone becoming a police officer. In an effort to get rid of the little runt, James decides to take his prospective brother-in-law on a ride along. Ben seems ready to throw in the towel when he's forced to deal with a biker gang, a mouthy pre-teen, and a lunatic in a supermarket. Yet, Ben provides improbable help in James's investigation into a mysterious crime lord known only as Omar.

Just as The Heat did with Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock, Ride Along relies almost solely on the chemistry between Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. Despite featuring four screenwriters in the credits, the script doesn't bother to do anything clever with a recognizable premise. Their idea of comedy involves quoting lines from Training Day and an opening car chase (with Ice Cube driving through a fiery explosion) appears to have been lifted right out of Other Guys. While director Tim Story has shown a knack for character-based comedies (Barbershop), he has a distinct lack of flair for action (Fantastic Four).

It's left entirely up to the leading stars to keep the audience's interest intact as the lackluster plot plods along. Hart is a bit like Chris Tucker with proper restraints. He knows when to play it to the hilt, but knows the right moments to dial it back. His manic energy is a strong contrast to the stoic Ice Cube, who ironically portrays the type of cop Cube railed against in his NWA days. Bruce McGill co-stars as the exasperated superior that's become a genre requirement along with John Leguizamo and Bryan Callen as fellow detectives. Laurence Fishburne manages to kick Ride Along up a notch when he makes a third act appearance as the enigmatic Omar.

Ice Cube struck a nerve when he took to social media to complain after he and Kevin Hart failed to win the MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo. They lost to Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. Sorry, but Cube must have an overinflated opinion of himself. His supporting work in Jump Street was much funnier. As it stands, Ride Along is a pedestrian comedy strictly for fans of Cube and Hart.

Rating: ** (*****)

21 Jump Street

21 Jump Street - Dirs. Phil Lord & Chris Miller (2012)

21 Jump Street is an early contender for surprise hit of the year. Movies based on old television shows haven't had a winning percentage and 21 Jump Street had the potential to be another Starsky & Hutch or, worse yet, Car 54, Where Are You? Instead, it's a clever and uproarious spoof of action films and high school comedies.

Jonah Hill steps up from his usual role of comic relief sidekick to act as lead, producer, and co-writer with Michael Bacall, who penned Scott Pilgrim vs. The World with Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish. Hill plays Morton Schmidt, an awkward teen with braces, who could never get the girl in high school. He was also constantly bullied by Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum), the star football player, who was unable to attend prom because of his poor grades. They eventually reunite at the police academy where Schmidt's brains and Jenko's brawn make them a formidable combination.

Their dreams of being badass cops are quickly dashed when they are assigned to bike duty at the local park. An arrest of some seedy bikers turns into an embarrassment when Jenko fails to read the perp his Miranda rights. As punishment, they are transferred to 21 Jump Street where they are to go undercover at the high school as brothers to ferret out the supplier of a new drug known as H.F.S. (Holy Fucking Shit). Schmidt's smart and sensitive ways gets him into the cool crowd, who turn out to be the dealers, while Jenko's meathead manners get him stuck with the science geeks. Their mission is put in jeopardy as Schmidt becomes preoccupied with living the glory days he never had as a teenager.

Hill intended 21 Jump Street to be Bad Boys crossed with John Hughes and he succeeds on both accounts. The screenplay skewers the conventions of both genres. During a car chase, Schmidt and Jenko are repeatedly shocked that numerous objects they shoot at haven't exploded. They easily identify various high school cliques such as the nerds, the jocks, and the Goths, but others (hipsters, anime fans) completely puzzle them. The food chain of the 80's is turned upside-down as geeks have since inherited the Earth. The environmentally friendly, socially conscious kids are cool while the brutish alpha male jock is passé. The film is also rife with witty metatextual humor, such as one character remarking that the Jump Street program was brought back due to a lack of original ideas. A drama teacher (played by the very funny Chris Parnell) notes the school play has reached the end of the second act just as the movie itself as reached the end of the second act. Even the generic name of the setting, Metro City, leads into other background jokes, like a billboard simply saying, "Billboard."

The comedy is accentuated by co-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who previously helmed Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and created the MTV series, Clone High with Bill Lawrence (Scrubs). Much like Pixar's Brad Bird did on Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Lord and Miller have made a strong live-action debut. Due to their animation roots, they are able to inject 21 Jump Street with a vibrant energy and loony sight gags, evidenced by the hallucinations Schmidt and Jenko experience while tripping out on H.F.S.

While the film has plenty profanity and gross-out situations, it actually has heart thanks to the growing friendship between Schmidt and Jenko. Hill and Tatum have excellent chemistry together, making their characters both entertaining and sympathetic. Tatum may not have strong dramatic skills, but he has a wealth of comedic talent. He manages to steal the funny away from Hill and gets some of the movie's best lines ("Fuck you, science.") There's also a sweet romance between Hill and Brie Larson, although, any potential statutory charges are never brought up. It is mentioned that Hill and Tatum look too old to be attending high school, but so do most of the other actors.

Speaking of which, the supporting performances are fantastic across the board. Dave Franco (James's younger brother) is appropriately douchey as the leader of the cool clique as is Rob Riggle as the track coach. Ellie Kemper gets some funny scenes as a teacher trying hard to hide her attraction to Jenko. Nick Offerman essentially reprises his role of Ron Swanson from Parks & Recreation as a police captain. His dry line readings contrast from the boisterous performance of Ice Cube as Jump Street's stereotypically angry captain ("Sometimes I get angry…so suck a dick.") Rye Rye and Dakota Johnson (daughter of Don Johnson & Melanie Griffith) appear as a rival undercover squad getting far better results. And, yes, there are cameos from original cast members like Holly Robinson Peete and Johnny Depp, but, sadly, not Richard Grieco. I won't spoil Depp's return as Tom Hanson, but it is easily the film's highlight.

21 Jump Street is a smartly written blend of lowbrow comedy and action with wry commentary on the hierarchies of modern high school.

Rating: *** ½ (*****)

Rampart

Rampart - Dir. Oren Moverman (2011)

"I am not a racist. The fact is, I hate everyone equally."

Screenwriter Oren Moverman made a strong directorial debut with 2009's The Messenger, a heavy drama with Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster as army officers charged with notifying families that their loved ones were killed in action. In my opinion, it was one of the best films of the year and netted Moverman an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay and Harrelson one for Best Supporting Actor. Moverman and Harrelson have teamed again for Rampart, a gritty drama set during the Rampart scandal of the late-90's.

The LAPD became notorious nationwide for the infamous beating of Rodney King. They again rose to public consciousness following the uncovering of widespread corruption in the anti-gang unit of the Rampart Division. Charges included bribery, falsifying evidence, armed robbery, and drug dealing.

Amidst the chaos, we meet Officer Dave Brown (Harrelson), a former Vietnam vet, who sees the streets of L.A. as his new battleground. Rampart opens in a seemingly conventional manner with Brown berating a female trainee (played by Julian Schnabel's daughter, Stella) for refusing to eat french fries because she is on a diet. But, this is not a retread of Training Day. The rookie isn't seen again and the rest of the film becomes a trip into an urban Dante's Inferno with its protagonist descending deeper and deeper into the pit.

Dave Brown is definitely the bad cop. He has earned the nickname, "Date Rape Dave," because he allegedly murdered a business partner suspected of multiple rape. A former law student, he can cite obscure legal precedent off the top of his head. He failed the BAR exam, but it's obvious it wasn't due to a lack of intelligence. It seems Brown was more interested in cracking heads.

He's also the patriarch of an unconventional little family. Brown has two ex-wives (Anne Heche & Cynthia Nixon), who happen to be sisters and live next door to each other. He has a daughter with each of them and, with the exception of the youngest girl, they all hate his guts. When Brown fails to get in bed with one sister, he moves on to the next one.

Brown ignites another scandal after a hit-and-run collision that sees him chase the suspect and mercilessly beat him with his flashlight. The incident is captured on video and played endlessly on the news. Already under scrutiny, Brown is hammered by investigators from Internal Affairs and the D.A's office. Needing cash to support his family and his legal defense, Brown robs a high stakes poker game and kills an unarmed man, forcing him to cover up yet another crime.

The cast also includes: Steve Buscemi as the District Attorney, Ben Foster as a homeless vet, Brie Larson as Brown's angry teenage daughter, Ned Beatty as a retired cop and confidant, and Sigourney Weaver and Ice Cube as investigators against Brown.

Woody Harrelson really carries the film. Rampart is seen entirely from Dave Brown's perspective and Harrelson appears in every scene. Harrelson isn't afraid to make Brown a nasty and sometimes pathetic individual. Yet, he's charismatic and articulate so it's easy to see why he's able to bed a number of women night in and night out. It's too bad this great character wasn't given a more compelling story.

There's strong storytelling in the first half of Rampart, but the second half of the movie unravels. The narrative drifts into a series of plot threads that never seem fully formed. One subplot that doesn't go anywhere involves an on/off romance between Brown and a defense attorney played by Robin Wright. There's nothing of note here unless you want to hear Wright state that she likes to "suck cock."

Moverman is struck with the sophomore slump that has befallen many independent filmmakers before him. Despite a magnetic performance by Harrelson, Rampart deals with issues, such as police corruption and their effects on the soul and family, that have been seen numerous times in film and television. The script feels like an entire season of The Shield condensed into an hour and forty minutes.

Rating: ** (*****)

Lottery Ticket

Lottery Ticket - Dir. Erik White (2010)


Ice Cube has come a long way from being a poster boy for gangster rap to being a purveyor of fluffy urban entertainment. Cube serves as executive producer and star of the ensemble comedy Lottery Ticket.

Kevin Carson (the no longer lil' Bow Wow) lives in the projects of Atlanta with his Grandma (Loretta Devine) and two best friends Benny (Brandon T. Jackson) and Stacie (Naturi Naughton). He picks up a couple lottery tickets for his Grandma and one of them yields a big jackpot of $370 million. Unfortunately, the lottery office is closed for the 4th of July weekend. Waiting it out becomes difficult when word gets out around the neighborhood. Kevin soon finds himself hit up by everyone who's looking to ride the money train. The worst though is ex-con Lorenzo (Gbenga Akinnagbe), just released from jail on shoplifting charges thanks to Kevin. Lorenzo not only wants revenge, but wants the winning ticket too.

Lottery Ticket is at its best in the first fifteen minutes as a slice-of-life examination of its colorful characters ala Cube's Barbershop. The opening finds Kevin just trying to get to work at Foot Locker. He's constantly interrupted by a colorful cadre of characters such as Charlie Murphy as the neighborhood gossip and Ice Cube as a former boxer who lurks in his basement and always asks for beef jerky and a Cherry Coke. Yes, all the most interesting stuff happens before the ticket is even introduced. Once it comes into play, the film drifts into a mawkish sentimentality.

Kevin lets riches go to his head as he begins preferring the company of fair-weather friends and gold digging hoochies to his tried and true pals. He inevitably learns the error of his ways and the value of giving to the community. The movie tries to enforce a positive message while simultaneously reinforcing stereotypes. Protagonists describe other characters as a "premature crack baby felon" or being covered in "slave dust."

Aside from the beginning, the rest of the movie only works in bits and pieces. The best scenes belong to the underutilized tandem of Keith David and Terry Crews as a local gangster and his enforcer and rapper T-Pain in a surprisingly funny role as a chatty convenience store clerk.

Rating: * ½