“The Ride” begins with a scene of unexpected brutality, engineered by a racist, feral kid. Even so, its “inspired by a true story” promise at the start rings a little tinny. And early on, the BMX-meets-“love wins” drama about a boy whose white supremacist roots and abusive home life land him in juvenile detention has an afterschool-special veneer, albeit somewhat gritty. The over-emotive score, particularly at the outset, punctuates the violence and the sentiment unnecessarily.
But the movie, streaming on Amazon, gains emotional traction when seven years later, John McCord finds himself released to an interracial foster couple. The reason for the film’s emotional resonance owes less to the screenplay — which teases too many easy tropes — than it does to the slow-burn chemistry between Shane Graham, who plays John of the set jaw and racist quips, and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, who portrays the foster father who has seen a lot worse.
But the movie, streaming on Amazon, gains emotional traction when seven years later, John McCord finds himself released to an interracial foster couple. The reason for the film’s emotional resonance owes less to the screenplay — which teases too many easy tropes — than it does to the slow-burn chemistry between Shane Graham, who plays John of the set jaw and racist quips, and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, who portrays the foster father who has seen a lot worse.
- 11/15/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
With films like The Help, Hidden Figures, and Green Book in the rearview mirror, I foolishly thought that Hollywood had learned its lesson and the patronizing, clichéd white savior narrative would be put to rest for at least another decade or so. In a time when the Black Lives Matter movement has never been more visible in mainstream media and conversations around racism and white supremacy are inspiring cultural reckoning, you would hope someone would think twice before going forward with a film where a Black man "saves" a white supremacist teen. But no, instead, we have The Ride, an upcoming indie film inspired by the real-life story of BMX star John Buultjens.
Related: Viola Davis Thoughtfully Explains Why She Regrets Her Role in The Help
According to the synopsis, the film follows John McCord (Shane Graham), a young man from a troubled upbringing who lands in juvenile detention after a violent "racially-charged" incident.
Related: Viola Davis Thoughtfully Explains Why She Regrets Her Role in The Help
According to the synopsis, the film follows John McCord (Shane Graham), a young man from a troubled upbringing who lands in juvenile detention after a violent "racially-charged" incident.
- 11/12/2020
- by Mekishana Pierre
- Popsugar.com
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