A surprisingly tame hip-hop road comedy that will serve as little more than a feature-length trailer for its no-doubt best- selling soundtrack, Millicent Shelton's debut feature is notable mainly for the number of personalities from the worlds of hip-hop, rap and stand-up comedy it can stuff into one movie.
Lacking wit, pacing and originality, this Dimension Films release, produced by the Hudlin brothers, will fall off quickly.
Based on the experiences of its writer-director, "Ride" chronicles a chaotic bus trip from New York to Miami by a group of inner-city kids hired to appear in the latest video by superstar Freddy B (Luther Campbell from 2 Live Crew). They are being chaperoned by Leta Evans Melissa De Sousa), a young, aspiring director working as an intern for Freddy's self-absorbed music video supervisor (Downtown Julie Brown).
Expecting a fun road trip, the children are dismayed to discover that they are being ferried on a ramshackle bus that hasn't been overhauled since it belonged to Wilson Pickett. It isn't long before numerous complications develop, including a burgeoning romantic relationship between beautiful Leta and a charismatic activist (Malik Yoba). Adding more adventure, the bus is being tailed by a couple comic outlaws: Bird (Dartanyan Edmonds) and his girlfriend Peaches (the Lady of Rage), who is so tough she pees standing up.
Other eccentric characters abound, including a pair of buffoonish bus drivers (Cedric the Entertainer, John Witherspoon) and a less-than-talented, racially mixed rap duo (Reuben Asher, Guy Torry).
Shelton manages to create some fun with her comically exaggerated character types, but "Ride" lacks truly funny situations or dialogue and substitutes frenzied slapstick for anything meaningful. The main value is in watching many performers go over the top and spotting the cameos by figures such as Snoop Doggy Dogg, Dr. Dre, Ed Lover, Fred Williamson, Redman and others.
RIDE
Dimension Films
Director-screenplay: Millicent Shelton
Producers: Reginald Hudlin, Warrington Hudlin
Executive producers: Bob Weinstein,
Harvey Weinstein, Cary Granat
Co-producer: S. Bryan Hickox
Editor: Earl Watson
Director of photography: Frank Byers
Original score: Dunn Pearson Jr.
Color/stereo
Cast:
Poppa: Malik Yoba
Leta: Melissa De Sousa
Roscoe: John Witherspoon
Geronimo: Fredro Starr
Bo: Cedric the Entertainer
Brotha X: Sticky Fingaz
Tuesday: Kellie Williams
Charity: Idalis De Leon
Running time - 90 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Lacking wit, pacing and originality, this Dimension Films release, produced by the Hudlin brothers, will fall off quickly.
Based on the experiences of its writer-director, "Ride" chronicles a chaotic bus trip from New York to Miami by a group of inner-city kids hired to appear in the latest video by superstar Freddy B (Luther Campbell from 2 Live Crew). They are being chaperoned by Leta Evans Melissa De Sousa), a young, aspiring director working as an intern for Freddy's self-absorbed music video supervisor (Downtown Julie Brown).
Expecting a fun road trip, the children are dismayed to discover that they are being ferried on a ramshackle bus that hasn't been overhauled since it belonged to Wilson Pickett. It isn't long before numerous complications develop, including a burgeoning romantic relationship between beautiful Leta and a charismatic activist (Malik Yoba). Adding more adventure, the bus is being tailed by a couple comic outlaws: Bird (Dartanyan Edmonds) and his girlfriend Peaches (the Lady of Rage), who is so tough she pees standing up.
Other eccentric characters abound, including a pair of buffoonish bus drivers (Cedric the Entertainer, John Witherspoon) and a less-than-talented, racially mixed rap duo (Reuben Asher, Guy Torry).
Shelton manages to create some fun with her comically exaggerated character types, but "Ride" lacks truly funny situations or dialogue and substitutes frenzied slapstick for anything meaningful. The main value is in watching many performers go over the top and spotting the cameos by figures such as Snoop Doggy Dogg, Dr. Dre, Ed Lover, Fred Williamson, Redman and others.
RIDE
Dimension Films
Director-screenplay: Millicent Shelton
Producers: Reginald Hudlin, Warrington Hudlin
Executive producers: Bob Weinstein,
Harvey Weinstein, Cary Granat
Co-producer: S. Bryan Hickox
Editor: Earl Watson
Director of photography: Frank Byers
Original score: Dunn Pearson Jr.
Color/stereo
Cast:
Poppa: Malik Yoba
Leta: Melissa De Sousa
Roscoe: John Witherspoon
Geronimo: Fredro Starr
Bo: Cedric the Entertainer
Brotha X: Sticky Fingaz
Tuesday: Kellie Williams
Charity: Idalis De Leon
Running time - 90 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 3/30/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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