Ride (1998)

Ride is a rowdy, streetwise road comedy that finds its charm in the way a simple bus trip becomes a pressure cooker for big personalities, bruised egos, and unexpected honesty. Millicent Shelton gives the movie a confident, lived-in look—sharp lensing, colorful costumes, and a sense of place that makes the journey feel like more than a string of gags—while the cast sells the chaos with earnest energy, especially Malik Yoba’s no-nonsense “keep it together” authority and John Witherspoon’s reliably combustible presence. The dialogue has a punchy, hangout-movie rhythm, and when it eases up on the mayhem, it lands on a surprisingly sincere note about ambition and the messy ways people reveal themselves in close quarters. Fair warning: it’s proudly R-rated and not shy about toilet humor, but if you’re in the mood for a loud, fast-talking, late-’90s urban comedy with real heart under the noise, it’s an easy ride to take.

Ride is aiming for a rowdy, character-packed road-trip comedy that mixes Harlem-to-Miami culture clash with a “found family on a bus” lesson by the end. The problem is it often feels like a string of chaotic skits—predictable conflicts, random celebrity pop-ins, and a lot of R-rated gross-out humor (toilet jokes included) that undercuts any real momentum. If you’re hoping for a sharp, energetic ensemble comedy or a satisfying career-journey story for Leta, this may feel messy and weirdly low-powered. That said, if you can tolerate crude humor and just want a late-’90s time capsule with a few amusing performances (especially when the adults try to keep order), you might get a couple of laughs out of the ride.