Naman Shrestha
With Tim Story at the helm of it, ‘Ride Along’ is a 2014 buddy cop action comedy movie that follows a security guard named Ben Barber who has been trying for two years to convince his girlfriend Angela’s brother James Payton, a veteran cop, that he is worthy of marrying her. Finally, James decides to give Ben a chance by taking him along on a ride across the city for 24 hours, mainly to test his resilience and scare him.
However, what was supposed to be a fun shift turns into a dangerous one when Ben and James find themselves involved in the hunt for the city’s most notorious criminal, Omar. Starring Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Laurence Fishburne, Tika Sumpter, John Leguizamo, and Bryan Callen, the comedy movie unfolds in Atlanta as the two protagonists navigate different streets and neighborhoods of the city. The ever so changing locations in the backdrop make the audience scratch their heads and wonder if ‘Ride Along’ was shot on location or not. Well, if you are one such curious soul, we have got you covered!
Ride Along: Where Was it Filmed?
‘Ride Along’ was filmed in Georgia and California, especially in Atlanta and Los Angeles. As per reports, the principal photography for the Ice Cube starrer commenced in late October 2012 and wrapped up after 35 days of shooting in December of the same year. Now, without further ado, let’s look at all the specific locations that can be spotted in the action comedy movie!
Atlanta, Georgia
Most of ‘Ride Along’ was taped in the capital of Georgia — Atlanta. First, some of the earliest scenes the production team lensed were in and around Underground Atlanta at 50 Upper Alabama Street. They reportedly shot a simulated gun battle inside the mall area on November 1, 2012, for which the residents around the area were warned beforehand by the Atlanta police. Besides, the scenes involving Highlands High School were recorded in the multi-purpose arena State Farm Arena at 1 State Farm Drive in Atlanta.
The football field that features in ‘Ride Along’ is that of the Eddie S Henderson Stadium (formerly known as Grady Stadium) at 929 Monroe Drive Northeast. Moreover, while Elliott Street Deli & Pub at 51 Elliott Street Southwest doubled as the biker bar, Gold Room at 2416 Piedmont Road Northeast also served as an important filming site. Unfortunately, both have permanently shut their doors. Several key portions of the Kevin Hart starrer were also lensed in the Municipal Market at 209 Edgewood Avenue Southeast and Peachtree Street.
During a January 2014 conversation with Collider, Kevin Hart was asked about the funniest scene he shot for the film. He recalled, “There are so many laugh-out-loud moments in the movie. My favorite has to be the warehouse, where I slapped Cube and stuck him with a knife. That was so much fun! Those were some long days, and he just had to sit there in the chair. Cube didn’t have a lot of activity to do. It was just me running around. But, there was this one moment where I stick him with the knife. We were really laughing out loud so much during that take.”
Los Angeles, California
Additional portions of ‘Ride Along’ were reportedly shot in Los Angeles. The sprawling city consists of both flat and hilly areas with high mountains surrounding the modern cityscape. It is home to several popular destinations and buildings, such as the Los Angeles City Hall, the Hollywood Sign, Griffith Observatory, Venice Beach, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, and the Venice Canal Historic District, some of which you might spot in the backdrop of a few scenes.
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