Almost brothers-in-law Ben (Kevin Hart) and James (Ice Cube) are back tackling crime in Miami rather than Atlanta. Now a rookie policeman, Ben tags along as James, a vice detective, investigates a lead that could break a regional drug ring wide open. Like in the first movie, laughs exist, thanks mostly to Hart and Cube’s odd-couple chemistry; one still wishes the material was stronger, as this duo has a lot more potential. 

The sequel adds Ken Jeong, Olivia Munn, Benjamin Bratt, Sherri Shepherd and more to the comedic goings-on, but they do not help that much. Jeong seems woefully miscast as the hacker, A.J., who holds the key to bringing down the drug smuggling operation run by Bratt’s well-connected rich guy, Antonio Pope. 

I should hope people going to see Ride Along 2 know exactly what they are going to get, which should not lead anyone to leave disappointed. If a moviegoer were expecting more from this buddy cop flick, expectations should have been readjusted. As far as high-profile comedies go, Ride Along 2 is funnier than most of Adam Sandler’s recent releases, while still not making good on the hilarious promise shown by Hart. His Napoleonic Ben Barber is far too concerned with being respected while doing very little to earn it. Such a character makes Hart funny until he is not, which happens more often than it should. More importantly, Cube is at least focusing on this franchise rather than the atrocious, destinationless Are We There Yets?