Bad Boys: Ride or Die movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Bad Boys: Ride or Die

This action comedy is now playing in theaters as another sequel to the popular buddy cop franchise.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 55 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B

SPONSOR of Today’s movie review:

Bad Boys for Life Collection: https://amzn.to/3VgDdSj

IN A NUTSHELL:

Can you believe it has been almost 30 years since the first Bad Boys movie came out? Some of the films are better than others, but fans are happy that they keep coming.

In this new installment of the franchise, our two favorite Miami police officers are on the run when their former captain is implicated in corruption. They have to be on the offense and defense in order to clear his name.

The high-octane action flick was directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Writing credits go to Chris Bremner, Will Beall, and George Gallo.

THINGS I LIKED:

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence still have great chemistry together. They both have the exact same hair cut and facial hair style in this flick. What’s up with that? In addition to being the main attraction of the movie, they also co-produced it with the legendary Jerry Bruckheimer.
Eric Dane and Tiffany Haddish both looked so different as blondes! I almost didn’t recognize them.
I’m a big fan of Vanessa Hudgens and have never seen her in a rated-R movie like this before. I was surprised to hear her swear a couple of times. I much prefer her playing sweet, comedic, singing characters.
Other cast members who did an outstanding job were Jacob Scipio, Paola Nunez, Alexander Ludwig, and Rhea Seehorn.
Did you notice Jay Shetty was the man who married Will Smith’s character? I loved all of the cute cameos. I was surprised to see DJ Khaled in a short action moment that made me laugh out loud. Another quick appearance is of Michael Bay!
Kudos to the stunt team for pulling off some impressive action sequences, which are almost nonstop.
Some of the shootout scenes were humorous…in a good way.
That crocodile tourist site made for a fun set piece.
Some of the camera angles and drone shots are interesting. Many of them looked like they were straight out of a first-person shooter video game.
The last frame of the movie made me laugh out loud.
If you’re a fan of the franchise, you’ll enjoy a few Easter eggs and respectful nods to some of the previous movies, especially with short scenes that featured Joe Pantoliano.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Every time I saw Will Smith with his character’s wife, I wondered what Jada Pinkett Smith thought about that scene. I was worried about him because he kisses and cuddles another woman/actress.
There are soooo many F-bombs.
Because there is so many chaotic moments with loud bangs, crashes, explosions, and action, I started to get numb to it.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Profanity, including lots of F-bombs and crude language
We see the naked rear end of a man
Various weapons are used.
People die mostly bloodless deaths.
Tons of destruction.
Lots of violence.
People are in perilous situations.
We see some women in skimpy outfits.

THEMES:

Friendship
Revenge
Trust
Sacrifices for family
Father/son relationship
Reputation
Life/Death

FUNNY LINES:

“We’re soul mates.” – Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) “Nah, I saw my soulmate looking different from THAT.” – Mike Lowrey (Will Smith)
“How long you think your brain went without oxygen?” – Mike Lowrey (Will Smith)
“You got you a little Spanish son?” – Tabitha (Tiffany Haddish)

INTERESTING LINES:

“I spent my life being scared. I wasted so much time.” – Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence)
“You gotta trust, Mike. Trust yourself. Trust the universe.” – Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence)
“People do things they’re normally not capable of when their family is involved.” – Judy (Rhea Seehorn)
“There’s a storm coming. Things are going to get bad. We’re going to be tested. Just know we’re good.” – Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence)

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