Ride (2014)

We found this movie on Netflix streaming. It is written and directed by Helen Hunt, who also stars. The animosity displayed between the mom and her son is hard to get past at times but overall it ties up with an important life lesson.Helen Hunt is Jackie, a New York author and publishing company executive. She drives her career hard and has a few quirks. We see some early when she is at a high-rise swimming pool doing laps using the dog paddle, so that she never has to get her hair wet.She is single and has a son, Brenton Thwaites as Angelo. He is also an aspiring writer, finishing high school, and set to attend an arts and science college in Manhattan. Their backstory of sorts is that she has become very attached to her son, as well as being very demanding of his writing, probably as an overreaction to having her other son die in his youth.All that sets up the core of the story which is Angelo dropping out of college to travel to California to be near his father. He wants to get away from the New York rat race and figure out what he wants to do, citing many examples of successful authors who didn't finish college. But mostly he wants to move far away from mom.Mom doesn't get angry, at least not much that we can see, instead she packs a bag and unannounced travels to California. She has had a problem letting go and at one point when Angelo mentions surfing, as one example of something Jackie would never do, she stubbornly tells herself it can't be that hard, she'll just get a board and begin surfing. She learns the hard way there's much more to it.The title "Ride" is a reference to riding that wave, finally, as a metaphor for her letting go a bit, for herself and also for her son. In the end he decides to move back to New York and resume his college but she decides to stay in California, beginning to give her son the freedom he deserves.Early in the movie when mom and son discuss how to end a fictional story her saying is it should be "something surprising and inevitable." That is the ending Helen Hunt wrote into this screenplay.

It is a 2nd directional feature for Helen Hunt. She also starred in a prominent role which is about a mother-son relationship. I don't understand why it was rated very low, but I like this rare movie, which portrayed parent-children bond in an emotional way. Such kind of a beautiful film the last time I saw was the 'The Guilt Trip', I guess. Only the women filmmakers can make films like this.Maybe this movie hit my weak point, I'm always sympathetic to the old people's struggle. Anyway, I liked the Helen Hunt's role and she was not struggling, but wanted to connect with her son who's grown up and trying to stretch his wings to fly away from her. This is very usual in the real world, an affectionate father towards his daughter and the same to a mother towards her son. I find this kind of themes are very cute and touches me.There's nothing bad about the direction, but the screen writing. Helen Hunt is not a great writer, in some parts the film was very dry. Feelingless emotions, but overall keeping the prime target as a mother who's pursuing her son for some reason. There were a few scenes that added the fun flavour to the movie.I wanted to give more points it, but I can't. Besides, I can recommend it to the people who're interested to have a movie about the family issues. Not like couples having a quarrel, but between parents and their kids, like maybe similar to the one I mentioned in the first paragraph.7/10

RideWhen a woman says that she's riding the crimson wave it doesn't mean she's a sunrise surfer.Mind your, the middle-aged mom in this dramedy could be the exception.When her son Angelo (Brenton Thwaites) drops out of college to pursue his writing and surf aspirations on the West Coast, Jackie (Helen Hunt) takes a hiatus from her editing job to keep an eye on him.In California she starts taking surf lessons from Ian (Luke Wilson) and discovers a new side to herself apart from her son's post-secondary life choices.Free to explore, Angelo also finds his rebellious view on education may not be the best option for his art.From its superficial self-discovery script to its stock surfing shots, this vanity project from writer/director Helen Hunt does little to showcase any noteworthy talents beyond her established acting ability.Nevertheless, surfer parents sound way less involved than helicopter parents. Red Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

My impression is nearly everyone is responding to this in stereotypical ways - seeing the mother as impossibly overbearing and interfering.Actually mother and son have a great relationship. They argue intensely and in detail about what his stories should be like - and about life and their relationship in general. This is very well portrayed. And most of us should be so lucky to have such a relationship. So she takes it too far - but hardly in a Tennessee Williams way. And they argue intensely about that too, and work their way to a successful conclusion.Sure, it's all a little too Hollywood pat and neat in the end.But you have an unusual portrait of an unusual and very good mother-son relationship - and a very passionately involved mother. She's very OK. I enjoyed it a lot.