Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Father-daughter-horse dramedy has martial arts action.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Ride On
What's the Story?
In RIDE ON, Lao Luo (Jackie Chan) is a down-on-his-luck stuntman who lives in a spacious old stable with his beloved horse, Red Hare. Luo has taken to street performing with Red Hare to raise precious cash, which he owes to persistent debt collectors. A video of Luo using his martial arts skills to take out the collectors goes viral, and he starts working again, putting himself and his horse into dangerous situations. Then the legal ownership of the horse comes into question, and Luo needs to go to court. It happens that his estranged daughter, Bao (Haocun Liu), is going to law school, and her boyfriend, Mickey (Guo Qilin), has just graduated. Luo jumps at the chance to really get to know his daughter, but she bristles at the way he pushes Red Hare. Can Luo find balance in his life and keep Red Hare at the same time?
Is It Any Good?
Far too long, frequently awkward, and unabashedly weepy, this father-daughter-horse story (with martial arts) still manages to get you in the feels, especially for longtime Jackie Chan fans. Ride On has moments of attempted humor, but much of it is wince-inducing, as in the scene in which Luo meets his daughter's boyfriend's parents. He tries on a series of preposterous, clownish outfits and then proceeds to make a fool of himself, talking with his mouth full and making clueless comments. The movie also has maudlin, tearjerking moments, capped by a sequence of Red Hare running after a departing Luo, repeatedly slipping and falling in the mud, to the tune of a goopy, syrupy music score.
But Ride On succeeds when it comes to being a Jackie Chan movie. The fight scenes may be a little slower and a little less spectacular now that Chan is getting older, but they still click. (A bit involving a large rocking chair is a gem.) It's also an appreciation of Chan's entire career: Luo keeps a DVD containing clips and outtakes from Chan's greatest work in the 1980s and 1990s, which is shown anytime anyone needs a reminder about who he is and what he did.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Ride On's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Do you think Luo was wrong to push Red Hare so hard into doing stunts? Why, or why not? Why do humans often get emotionally attached to animals?
What's appealing or unappealing to you about the idea of a career as a stunt person?
Do you think real stunts are superior to computer-generated imagery? What are the pros and cons of each?
How does this movie fit into Jackie Chan's long career? What do his movies tend to have in common?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 7, 2023
- On DVD or streaming : October 24, 2023
- Cast : Jackie Chan , Haocun Liu , Kevin Guo
- Director : Larry Yang
- Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Well Go USA Entertainment
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 126 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : May 13, 2023
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