Movie Review: Ride (2014)

Genre: Dramedy  

Director: Helen Hunt  

Starring: Helen Hunt, Luke Wilson, Brenton Thwaites  

Running Time: 93 minutes  

Synopsis: In New York City, Jackie (Helen Hunt) is a divorced magazine editor, over-involved in the life of her college-aged son Angelo (Brenton thwaites) and eager for him to become a writer. Fed-up with his mother's controlling behaviour,  Angelo drops out of college and relocates to Los Angeles to become a surfer. Jackie follows and takes up surfing to better connect with her son, and on the beach she meets Ian (Luke Wilson), who becomes a coach and romantic partner.

What Works Well: This mother-son drama benefits from a robust arc for Helen Hunt's character, reacting to an earlier family tragedy and a marriage break-up by smothering her son. Her subsequent journey to letting go encompasses moments of humour and romance soaked in the laid-back California sun.

What Does Not Work As Well: A good chunk of the running time is occupied with Helen Hunt falling off her surf board. Character definitions are neglected, with Luke Wilson's Ian reduced to shallow nothingness, and Jackie's ex-husband and his family rendered irrelevant. The writing reaches for edgy but often lands in painfully contrived theatricality. Other than a few swear words, this qualifies as a mediocre television movie.

Conclusion: Fall.

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