Texan Mosaic

by: ALEX PEREZ/Staff Writer

One of the newest blockbuster movies has the whole audience in a storm of laughter when the hilarious Kevin Hart teams up with the notorious Ice Cube once again.

In the first “Ride Along,” James Payton (played by Ice Cube), one of Atlanta’s top detectives, takes Ben on a 24-hour police patrol to be in his sister’s good graces (which is Ben’s girlfriend and soon-to-be wife in the second movie) and give him a chance to prove himself as a man.

Ben (Kevin Hart) continues to do so in the sequel as he tries to impress the chief of the police department and prove to everyone that he’s good enough to be a detective. In this action-and-wise-crack-packed movie, a seemingly easy and not as important drug bust takes the duo, which Ben calls “The brothers in law,” from the Atlanta Police Department to beautiful Miami, Florida, to uncover a huge drug ring, all within the week of Ben and Angela’s wedding day.

The movie starts off with an undercover operation with James and his partner Mayfield, played by Tyrese Gibson. They are undercover to catch one of the biggest drug dealers in Atlanta at a local street race, but they let the mischievous Ben Barber listen in and he takes things into his own hands when he thinks they are in trouble. He makes his heroic entrance to “save” them in a lowrider jumping up and down. He definitely plays the part of what he thinks is tough but is actually just a small man talking a lot of mess.

Ben Barber is the hilarious definition of a man with a Napoleon complex. Throughout the movie, he is constantly getting into mischief with different characters, including a foot chase through a neighborhood going after a quirky computer hacker, played by Ken Jeong. Jeong is known for his role in “The Hangover” movies and brings the same comedic infusion to this movie as he plays A.J., the hacker.

A.J. joins forces with the “the brothers in law,” a long with the beautiful Maya, a Miami Police Department detective, who has a knack for catching the bad guy who is up for grabs and also has a crush on James.

Together they make the perfect team to put a stop to Mr. big shot himself, Antonio Pope, played by Benjamin Bratt. Their journey to justice is what makes this film both intense and hilarious, from the high speed car chases, extravagant parties, shoot outs and the outrageously comedic genius threaded into the suspenseful mystery of tracking down the bad guy, who was right under their nose the whole time. All this makes “Ride Along 2” a must watch movie. If you’re going on a Friday night date night with the bae or just a night out with some friends, “Ride Along 2” is  a great pick.

I give it 5 stars out of 5.