The modern buddy cop action comedy requires a precise mixture of elements. You need to move the audience from heavy themes like cocaine trafficking and police brutality to sitcom-style goof-ups and pratfalls, and then repeat that process several times over the course of 90 minutes. It’s not easy. For every Bad Boys there’s a Tango & Cash; for every Rush Hour there’s a Hollywood Homicide. Director Tim Story’s Ride Along 2 falls on the fun end of the spectrum—no mean feat for a sequel to a 2014 vehicle designed for Kevin Hart and Ice Cube.
Granted, I haven’t seen that first Ride Along, but Ride Along 2 boasts nearly twice the budget and essentially the same plot synopsis (Cube is a supercop, Hart is a buffoonish poseur engaged to Cube’s sister), so I feel confident in saying that if you enjoyed the first one, you’ll enjoy the second. The same goes for Hart’s shtick, large sections of which are transplanted directly from his stand-up.