Ride (1998 film)
| Ride | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Millicent Shelton |
| Produced by | |
| Written by | Millicent Shelton |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Melissa De Sousa |
| Music by | Dunn E. Pearson |
| Cinematography | Frank Byers |
| Edited by | Earl Watson |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $5.5 million |
Ride is a 1998 American comedy film, written and directed by Millicent Shelton and starring Malik Yoba, Fredro Starr, and Melissa De Sousa. It is sometimes confused with The Ride, another film released in 1998.
NYC film school graduate Leta Evans (De Sousa) has just become the assistant to hot music video director Bleau Kelly (Downtown Julie Brown). She almost loses the job before her first day's barely even started when Bleau decides budget cuts must be made for her next project. When Leta offers to do the assignment for a smaller fee, Bleau decides to have her escort a group of rappers, singers, and showbiz wanna-be's to Miami for a video shoot. The gang, which is kept in line by Poppa (Yoba), gets acquainted on a decaying bus as they travel down the East Coast, encountering barroom fights and other problems en route to the video gig.
A soundtrack containing hip hop music was released on January 27, 1998, by Tommy Boy Records. It contained five charting singles, "The Worst", "Mourn You Til I Join You", "Callin'", "Jam on It" and "The Weekend".
Lael Loewenstein of Variety magazine describes the film as having "a few genuinely funny bits of dialogue and some earnest performances" that offset the predictable storyline. The review predicts the film will be popular with the target young urban audience, but with only slight chances of a crossover or international audience. Loewenstein states that the script treads familiar road-movie territory, but the film itself is "technically well above average", including the effective costume, production design, and lensing. The acting is also judged to be "adequate all around" with a notable cameo from Snoop Dogg.
Entertainment Weekly gives the film a grade of D+, calling it a mess, and saying any serious issues raised in the film are immediately undercut by toilet humor, and whenever the road trip story gains momentum it is interrupted by cameo appearances.The New York Times calls Ride "a weak, unenergetic vehicle for character, comedy, romance, adventure or music."
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