RIDE
DIRECTOR: Helen Hunt
CAST: Helen Hunt, Brenton Thwaites, David Zayas and Luke Wilson.
RUNNING TIME: 93 Minutes
CLASSIFICATION: tba
RATING: ***
For a generation, Helen Hunt (pictured) is that pretty blonde from Mad About You. For those who are younger, she might be seen as that lady with Beyonce-levels of multitasking. She not only directed Ride, but also wrote and stars in it. Yay for girl power – especially because she is the focal point in the testosterone-fuelled environment in which the movie takes place: surfing.
It’s a pity that her closest co-star, Thwaites, threatens to put a damper on things.
Hunt plays Jackie, an editor who is married to her job and always on her computer or cellphone. Thwaites is Ian, Jackie’s son and an aspiring author who is set to start college. His father is a Californian who barely talks in the film, has a new wife and kids and is the refuge for Ian when he decides he is quitting college before he starts to live on the beach.
Jackie leaves New York – and her demanding job – to try and talk Ian back into his senses. But during that time, she discovers that all she needed to do was stop and address some things in her past in order to have a less Oedipal relationship with him. All while learning how to – cue Beyonce – surf.
Hunt does a great job of portraying a neurotic know-it-all. Thwaites, on the other hand, overacts every scene. It’s difficult to tell if the character is just highly strung or the actor just too passionate. Fortunately, the other Wilson brother makes for a quirky but cute love interest, while Zayas is funny as the limo driver who waits on Jackie hand and foot.
There’s a lot to be said about the power that rich Jackie exerts over her “worker” who is meant to only drive her around, but the scenery in the drama is a good distraction. There are many moments when the sound is suspended and all we see are waves in slow motion for intense emotional effect. So if you can get around Thwaites’ eye-roll-worthy scenes, you might enjoy this.
If you liked This Is Where I Leave You and Georgia Rule, you will like this.