Ride

Written and directed by Helen Hunt, Ride is an entertaining family drama. The story follows a mother who goes to L.A. to convince her son to come back to New York and go to college, but when he refuses she stays in L.A. and takes up surfing, hoping that it will help her to understand him. Hunt (in addition to writing and directing) stars as the lead and gives an incredibly strong performance. And co-stars Luke Wilson and David Zayas are also quite good. Additionally, there’s a bit of a comedic undertone to the material that adds a nice levity to it. But the script is poorly written, as the mother/son relationship is underdeveloped, and there’s a lot of vagueness to a tragic event in their past. Still, Ride has some touching moments and a positive message about giving up control and enjoying life.