If you haven’t felt the surge of black creativity in film and TV, you’re seriously missing something. The revolution is being televised, downloaded, recorded and streamed on screens big and small, and two of our biggest stars are happy to be a part of it. We chatted with Ride Along partners Ice Cube and Kevin Hart at the New York City premiere event, where they reflected on the recent success of black cinema.
“It’s beautiful,” Ice Cube said of the surge in black stories on-screen. “It’s great. I remember when only black directors only did ‘black’ films, and now we’re shooting all different kinds of movies. That just shows that our creativity and our perseverance, and the pioneers before us, from Sidney Poitier to Melvin Van Peebles, Spike Lee—it’s all paying off. They’re influential in what we’re doing today.”
“I don’t look at it as black films,” said Hart. “I look at it as good movies. I think right now, black actors are getting the opportunity to do better things, and at the end of the day, we just want to be people in the business of making great projects.”
As for Ride Along? We’ll go ahead and punch our ballots early for the Ice Cube-Hart comedy as one of the funniest movies of 2014. But we also wanted to take a look back at other hilarious buddy comedies, from Coming to America to White Chicks, and everything in between. Of course we had to give praise to Ice Cube’s legendary Friday, but what were some of Kevin Hart’s favorite comedies?
“Favorite funny movies? I’d probably say Ride Along. And after that I’d say Ride Along, and then … Ride Along, Ride Along and Ride Along. Those are my top five.”
We hear you, Kevin. Check out our list below.
1. Let’s Do It Again (1975)
Starring: Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby
Fun fact: This classic flick isn’t just one of the best examples of black comedy at its finest; it’s also where rapper Biggie Smalls (better known as the Notorious B.I.G.) got his name.
2. Coming to America (1988)
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall
Who could forget the journey of Prince Akeem and Semmi from the kingdom of Zamunda to New York City to sow their wild oats? As he fell in love with a round-the-way Queens girl, we fell in love with a classic.
3. House Party (1990)
Starring: Christopher “Kid” Reid, Christopher “Play” Martin
Sequels: House Party 2 (1991), House Party 3 (1994), House Party 4: Down to the Last Minute (2001)
If you’re one of today’s young folks who wasn’t raised on this classic coming-of-age comedy series of Kid N Play hijinks, we suggest you get familiar fast.
4. Friday (1995)
Starring: Ice Cube, Chris Tucker
Sequels: Next Friday (2000), Friday After Next (2002)
Would later generations of stoner comedies exist if F. Gary Gray’s Friday wasn’t the definitive story of slackers scheming to get paid?
5. Bad Boys (1995)
Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence
Sequel: Bad Boys II (2003)
No matter how big Smith or Lawrence would become, Bad Boys is the classic cop comedy that gave them both big screen cred.
6. The Nutty Professor (1996)
Starring: Eddie Murphy
Sequels: The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)
Sure, Eddie might have played his own worst frenemy (and the entire family, too), but the pairing of plump Sherman Klump with his internal nemesis, Buddy Love, kept us in stitches while teaching us that it’s what's on the inside that counts.
7. Good Burger (1997)
Starring: Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell
Nickelodeon’s hit “Good Burger” sketch from All That became so hot that it flipped from the small to the big screen just as the pair began the now-legendary TV series Kenan & Kel.
8. Rush Hour (1998)
Starring: Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan
Sequels: Rush Hour 2 (2001), Rush Hour 3 (2007)
Despite the fact that we only just realized the first Rush Hour flick is now 16 (!) years old, we can still hear all of Chris Tucker’s high-pitched squeals in our heads.
9. How High (2001)
Starring: Method Man, Redman
Method and Red weren’t just two of the best rappers around; they turned their duo into a TV and film franchise, climaxing in this laugh-out-loud college flick.
10. White Chicks (2004)
Starring: Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans
The Wayans brothers have a history of doing anything for a laugh, but dressing up as white girls to bust socialite kidnappers was a hilarious stunt no one saw coming.
11. Guess Who (2005)
Starring: Bernie Mac, Ashton Kutcher
Bernie Mac’s screen legacy includes this brilliant yet unlikely pairing with the preppy Ashton Kutcher for a quirky yet pointed take on interracial dating.
12. Ride Along (2014)
Starring: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart
Ride Along takes slapstick-cop comedy to new heights, with some of the biggest action and best laughs we’ve seen from Ice Cube and Hart in years. Feel free to hop in this weekend.
Terron Moore is social media editor at The Root.
Terron Moore is social media editor at The Root.