Ride (2014 film)

Premise

A mother travels cross-country to California to be with her son after he decides to drop out of school and become a surfer.

Cast

Production

On July 30, 2013 Deadline reported that Helen Hunt would star, direct and produce her script of a surf film Ride. She produced the film with Greg Little and Lizzie Friedman. Upon closing of the distribution rights with Screen Media Films, it was announced that the film would be dedicated to her father and the film's surf-photographer Sonny Miller after his passing in 2014. In 2015, Hunt memorialised her friend and their experiences filming the surfing scenes in, "Sonny Miller's Lesson for Us All: 'Nature Dictates'", for The Huffington Post.

Filming

The shooting of the film Ride began on August 5, 2013, at Venice Beach in Los Angeles.

Release

In September 2014, it was announced Screen Media Films had acquired distribution rights for the film with a planned 2015 release. The film had its world premiere at the AFM on November 8, 2014. The film also premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival on April 25, 2015. The film was released in the United States in a limited release and through video on demand on May 1, 2015.

Reception

Ride received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 48%, based on 27 reviews, with a rating of 5.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Ride reaffirms Helen Hunt's immense acting talent -- but suggests that she still needs time to develop as a director." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 48 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".