Immediately, I felt this was going to be a low budget film that is wasting my time. But knowing that some of the best films are done in one location or with as few as one actor, I wanted to give it a chance.
Obviously, it held my interest enough, laying crumbs that I wanted to follow. But in the end (literally) we are left asking "You're kidding me?"
The producer and writer had too much they wanted to imply, and therefore could not decide on any one direction. The film suffers for this. I would have liked to see it take a more dramatic turn of some kind after the many startling moments that amount to virtually nothing. I mean, maybe the girl and the killer were partners, or maybe the driver and the girl were playing people and ran up on the wrong guy. But instead, the producers insisted on trying to make it more relevant than artistic.
I wouldn't say don't watch it, but it's really one of those that will most appeal to Uber and Lyft passengers who have a crush on one of the actors.
My other gripe would be: why is it called Ride instead of Ryde (the name of the uber-style company)? That made it very difficult to find when trying to read or post reviews. I actually had to look i up by the actor's name.
And if I could post one more gripe: It's very annoying to see reviews that start with a quite synopsis of the film. We are not interested in the outline, we just want your opinion of the film itself. Please don't start with "We see James, a L.A. driver just wanting to become an actor... " We already know that and it just wastes everyone's time.
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Foutainoflife19 May 2019I just wasn't impressed. The story wasn't very interesting or believable. The best thing about it was we got to listen to "Ignition (Remix)" by R. Kelly. That's about it.
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faer_kr2 June 2020A youth thriller. It's about a guy who's an app chauffeur and meets a girl he likes and invites him out and his next trip is a petty guy. Quality. You have stressful times. The performances are fine. It fulfills its function which is to entertain. The end is up to you. The beginning is parsimonious but little by little the film will require you. Of short duration so it does not become a nuisance.
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andylev-4091614 October 2018A rather dull start before the event that changed the story. Like the drive itself the plot went on a meandering, eventless journey to nowhere in particular. It didn't even end. No thrills, no shocks, no plot twists. Acting was OK, even the dialogue was alright. It was dull, causing no offence nor any excitement. Everything was guessable. Read a good book instead of watching this.
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ryno91218 February 2019This movie has one of the worst endings ever it's super silly and illogical.
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christopherneitz9 October 2018The bad guy gives the good guy the gun that he was threatening them with and he doesnt shoot the bad guy but shoots listens and shots another good guy most ridiculous story fail ever and we stopped watching after.
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DreamWonder19 October 2018You had two leads who had chemistry, but some of the acting was off (and I've seen them act better, so I'm gonna say it's the script and direction at fault) and you messed it up BIG time. I wanted to like the movie because of the actors but I don't think I want this writer or director to make another movie, sorry.
So many things annoyed me mainly the killer, he wasn't scary but unbelievably irritating, in real life you'd kill HIM before he could kill you!!!
And going into a covered pool as the only logical hiding place....absolutely absurd.
No comprehensible motive for why he did what he did, and how was he gonna pick up James next passenger without a car?!?!
I watched this for free, if I paid I would definitely get my money back. -
davidlindsay-1031116 October 2018This movie was pathetic. Slow... I gave it the chance many times through. Should have turned it off after 5 minutes. The ending completely left me wondering why I continued to watch. Seriously , there's a review by Haroot in here. Who ever they are they have no clue what a good movie is. Save your time !! Watch something else.
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Gordon-1110 January 2019This film is about a driver who picks up a charming passenger who isn't who he appears.
The plot is just way too unbelievable and non sensical. Any sane person would have kicked the passenger out when the passenger refused even to provide a destination. The plot just gets increasingly annoying because it just gets too unlikely and non sensical. -
nezbitkn23 November 2018A good film to enjoy without becoming too embroiled in the details. Just go with it and you'll enjoy it. Similarly, with Collateral starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, it's a continuous feed of information that you question throughout. Definitely worth a watch.
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ryanqualey4 November 2018I thought we were like halfway done with the movie and it just ended! Out of nowhere!
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cekadah17 December 2018Who's fooling who?
Director/Writer - Jeremy Ungar has offered up a truly suspenseful film of 'who is tricking who'? A ride-share driver earning extra cash? A beautiful girl going to a party? A man who leaves his girlfriend?
I do NOT want to give any plot or character summation because - in my opinion - the characters minds are part of the plot. From the start of this movie you know something is going to go awry. But who and how? There's a driver and two different passengers. All seem likeable - then the dark descends.
Is there collaboration or just victims ? -
This is a good movie. Low budget, some scenes should have been tweaked a little, not perfect - however, most early reviews have been unfairly negative. Again, this is a good movie.
Real Review Posting Scoring Criteria: Acting - 1/1 Casting - 1/1 Directing - 1/1 Story - 1/1 Writing/Screenplay - 1/1
Total Base Score = 5
Modifiers: Originality: 1 Cinematography: 0.5 Music/Soundtrack: 0.5 Believability/Consistency: -0.5
Total Real Review Rating: 6.5 (rounded up for IMDB) -
gtyoshida29 October 2018More than a few movies have "holes" in their story line, places where the plot breaks down and the audience is no longer willing to suspend it's belief for the sake of entertainment but "Ride" is the cinematic equivalent of an astronomical black hole, that region in space where the gravitational field is so strong that matter cannot escape.
Ostensibly, "Ride" is billed as a dire warning about the perils of ubiquitous ride share services that car owners join in order to drive clients to their destinations for online payments transferred directly to their bank accounts. James (Jessie T. Usher) is one such driver, a wannabe actor living in LA who finds this type of work more appealing than other stereotypical actor jobs like waiting on tables.
One of the perks he likes about driving for a ride share service is the opportunity to meet interesting and attractive men and women; Jessica (Bella Thorne) is all that and more. After engaging James in conversation, she invites him to join her for drinks at the bar where he'd dropped her off but another ride request pops up on his mobile phone and he politely declines. Not one to be brushed off, especially by men, Jessica extends her invitation and tells James to join her after he's finished driving for the evening.
His next ride sharer, Bruno (Will Brill) is a gregarious, although somewhat sketchy client who refuses to give an exact destination but instead asks James to make some unplanned and unreported stops which is a clear violation of the ride share program. He continues to make more unusual requests like asking James to turn off his car lights and wait in dark while he asks a friend if he can spend the night to avoid returning home to his angry wife. Even the loud noise, which sounds like a gun shot, coming from inside the house does not deter James from continuing to wait for his ride sharer. But once he gets back into the car, Bruno convinces James to drive them both back to the bar where he'd dropped off Jessica so all three could drive around LA for a night filled with fun and adventure.
This is where the movie "Ride" begins to fall apart. Bruno asks James to give him the car keys while he goes inside to pick up Jessica, reassuring him that the ride service would charged his credit card if he stole the car. Presumably, all ride share clients have credit card limits so high that a driver could recover the cost of his car if his client drove off into the night but even if this was true, would any car owner willing hand over his car keys to a total stranger then disappear out of sight?
The black hole grows even larger and deeper as the movie progresses. Bruno is now driving the car and James and Jessica are his passengers. He pulls out a magnum 44 revolver and flashes it around, playfully pointing it at both Jessica and James. Then he stops in front of a liquor store, orders James to go inside to commit a robbery, and hands him the loaded gun. James takes the revolver but instead of robbing the store, orders the obviously unstable stranger to get out of the car but Bruno overpowers the would be actor, regains control of the situation, and still demands that his crazy plan be carried out. Once again, James is handed the loaded revolver but this time, inexplicably, chooses to obey and walks into the liquor store to confront the store clerk. A standoff occurs when the clerk notices the large magnum and reaches under the counter for his own gun. However, only one harmless shot is fired and .James returns to the car with a bottle of expensive liquor and a handful of cash.
There is no reasonable explanation for this entire scene. Why would a captor give his hostage a fully loaded magnum 44 revolver? And why wouldn't the hostage, now holding the most powerful handgun in the world, simply get out of the car, turn around, and order his captor to surrender?
There is only one reason to continue watching "Ride" at this point, the vain hope that there is some bizarre plot twist at the end of the movie. But the story climaxes with a predictable car crash, a childlike attempt at deception, and a plot that is wrapped up with a few weak lines of dialogue.
All three actors, Usher, Thorne, and Brill turn in convincing performances as off beat characters who enjoy the night life and meet each other through ride share technology and director Jeremy Ungar does a commendable job maintaining the pace of the movie until it's underwhelming climax. Even the music and cinematography enhance the street scenes of LA where driving is as much a way of life as walking is to the denizens of New York City.
Nevertheless, "Ride" is a cinematic black hole that deserves the lowest possible IMDB rating and should be a top contender for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture. -
BananaHeads6 October 2018The concept is interesting but the plot holes ruined the movie. One in particular was just plain dumb. Without doing a spoiler, lets just say he could have easily ended the situation at least 3 times and didn't. I guess they needed to fill more screen time.
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Honestly this had to be one of the worst movies I've ever seen in my life.
The premise of the movie is an amazing concept that if executed right could been huge blockbuster movie. Owens and Thorne are both good upcoming young actors. But direction it took was just horrid.
First the movie is SLOW and I mean slow! It just drags and drags along to the point where you don't even care about the build up or story anymore you're just begging for anything to happen. Two this movie must been filmed on massively low budget it had horribly congested feel to it. Three the ending was so abrupt and out left field. Once it rolls along you actually finish the movie angry you watched it at all.
I can't recommend this to anyone BAD movie all around. Please avoid It the trailer is so misleading!!! -
agross-1857213 January 2020Wasted 1 1/2 hours of my life i cant get back the movie should have ended when the killer handed him the only gun he had. but then went on to make him rob the store with the gun this is the dumbest movie ever with no real ending or reason why the events in the movie took place..
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James, I am not gonna be the force in your life that prevents you from hanging out with this girl tonight. I mean, who knows, man, maybe you're meant... meant to kiss her tonight.
This film had everything to make it an extremely exciting end product. A fascinating storyline with a surprising twist. A sympathetic protagonist (Jessie T. Usher). Bella Thorne as a co-player. And a crazy opponent who has a nice surprise. Plus a short playing time of fewer than 80 minutes, which means that the film has the same functionality as a bag of paprika chips. It's not real food but as a quick snack, it fills your hungry stomach. And it's also damn tasty. Only one crucial item was missing. And that's credibility. There are some developments that are too ridiculous for words. And that's not all. A surprising end was also missing. An unparalleled denouement through which you forget all the nonsense and moronic situations. The disappointment about the denouement was so big that you'll forget about the plus points I just mentioned. Unfortunately, because there was still a lot of good stuff to discover.
First of all, Bella Thorne. Well, I think that I have a thing for her. When I first saw her in "Shovel Buddies", I was immediately hooked. A beautiful appearance with a lovely look with a pair of sparkling eyes. There was no doubt. I had to watch all the films in which she played. Unfortunately, I finally forgot that commitment (like all my New Year's resolutions) and I only admired her again in the not so tremendous "I still see you". At first, I didn't really feel like watching this movie because of the movie poster. With that pink neon-like title I immediately thought of "Cocktail". And that wasn't exactly a movie that impressed me. It was only when I discovered the name Bella Thorne that I didn't hesitate for a second to watch it. And now I also know that the name Bella Thorne is no guarantee for an excellent film.
Everything revolves around James (Jessie T. Usher), a starting actor hoping for a breakthrough (something more important than a henchman in "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D" anyway), and forced to take a job as a taxi driver. Something similar to the "Uber" services. Only here it's the "Ride" app that takes care of new customers. And the first customer is the lovely Jessica (Bella Thorne) who's going for a night out with some friends. The animated conversation between them made her invite the sympathetic James for a drink after his shift. But first James has to pick up a certain Bruno (Will Brill) who has an arrogant attitude. You'll grow an antipathy towards this man from the very beginning. A dreadful, annoying and unpleasant person who cannot specify a destination. He's reminded five times that there's no meter and that tips or extra money aren't accepted. And he's also so persistent in his argumentation that he can convince James to ask Jessica to come to a party on Malibu (including hot tubs).
When everything seems to go smoothly, with the necessary silly jokes from Bruno, it turns out he has a completely different plan in mind. Before James and Jessica realize it, they are in a life-threatening situation. A game of manipulation and dominance. A psychological cat and mouse game in which both innocent passengers are forced to commit criminal offenses. But as the film progressed, the improbabilities accumulated. James had plenty of opportunities to end the mad ride. A whopper of a revolver handed over twice and not once use it to turn the enforcer into a target practice! If it was me, that guy would already have looked like Swiss cheese with holes in it. And most of all I had to laugh with the hiding place that James and Jessica chose. It was as if they wanted to be found quickly. So stupid.
But it's above all the denouement that makes the entire film collapse like a plum pudding. The only reaction that occurred to me was: "That's it?" It's so disappointing that I wondered why I actually made the effort to completely sit it out. Fortunately, the film had a limited runtime. But just like Bruno, the film doesn't know which direction it wants to go. In short, a not so very successful film. And the sometimes beautiful, nocturnal images of Los Angeles won't fix that. Fortunately, Bella Thorne was in it. -
mjsreg26 December 2018Reading the summary for this film it looked like something worth watching.
Then I watched it.
The plot is not only ridiculous, it is illogical that anyone except a complete moron would allow or take part in the things that happen.
It became so stupid I only manage to watch 60 minute of it. -
A1l9i8m66 January 2019Lame and not at all believable. I didn't like the hype the preview is the whole movie. No real action and suspense.
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bluefacepurple10 October 2018Overall a decent movie but the ending wasn't to swell. I would still suggest anyone to checkout if they don't have any other good movies to watch. I rate the movie 6.5/7 ish
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TheLittleSongbird16 November 2018'Ride' did have a cool cover and an interesting idea going for it. The low rating and negative reviews did make it apprehensive admittedly, but as someone who always gives every film that interests me or comes my way a fair chance with an open mind it was seen anyway.
While not a complete waste of time, 'Ride' is not my definition of a good film. To me, there was a lot wrong with it and it is a very weak film in general. 'Ride' does not deliver on any promise it had, which may not have been massive but the film was hardly devoid of it, and was the complete opposite of what it could have been. This is being said with no malice, bias or prejudice (actually with regret), part of me wanted to not be as bad as has been said and have been known quite a few times, especially in my early years as a reviewer here, to go against the grain in not caring for a positively reviewed film or liking a panned one.
There are good things. The music is not obvious or intrusive and didn't feel at odds with the rest of the film. Visually, 'Ride' is reasonably slick and doesn't look too cheap.
While the acting is hardly great, the actors do do their best and their performances came over as committed and not overdone.
Unfortunately, the script and especially the story brings 'Ride' down. The script is very awkward sounding and doesn't flow, some of it is very difficult to take seriously. The story is excessively dull and has no surprises, tension or suspense. Instead it is ridiculous and implausible, with so many intelligence-insulting moments and parts that don't make sense or make one throw a hissy fit in confusion.
On top of that, the ending is extremely abrupt, it ends just like that with no resolution and gives the sense that the film was left incomplete. The characters irritate and there are frequent instances of them behaving without any logic or intelligence, could not believe that the film had characters behaving so stupidly, vaguely and illogically.
Summing up, weak. 3/10 Bethany Cox -
haroot_azarian8 October 2018Having read the 2 sole reviews I almost changed my mind not to watch the movie. I am very glad that I did, because I have no idea what the previous 2 contributors had watched and rated,, but I found this movie a very good edge-of-the-seat movie. In spite of one of the contributors' remarks I found the acting very convincing and natural by all three. Also I did not find anything wrong with the ending either. A definite thumbs up for me, Thorne and Usher did not let me down!
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I'm a big fan of Jessie T. Usher, loved him in the series, Survivor's Remorse and I'm glad to see him in something more, another movie, he's very talented, and did a great job in this movie. His castmates were great also especially Will Brill, displaying psychotic behavior, all acts very convincing with the multiple activities going on in today's society, but I think the ending should've been more closed.
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Just a series of dumb decisions without any sort of common sense with an ending that sounded like "we have to deliver it tomorrow". I give two stars because at least it helped me to get some sleep.