Movie Review By: J1 Reporter Grace Tynan

Director : Sofia Alvarez
Story by: Sarah Dessen 
Genres: Romance, Comedy, Melodrama, Drama 
Music By: Beach House
Streaming by: Netflix
Rating TV-14
Running Time 1 hour and 46 Minutes 

”Along for the Ride” is a coming of age movie released in 2022, that everyone should watch, about a girl named Auden who has lived isolated, because of her mom, Dr. Victoria West, who is determined to make Auden a doctor just like her. Auden moves from her hometown to a new town called Colby, in North Carolina where her father, Robert West, and his new wife Heidi who just had a baby live. 

Her stepmom, Heidi, owns a boutique called Clementines, and gives her a job helping with the store’s finances. When she first gets there she feels very out of place especially when all the local girls know her while she doesn’t know them.

Colby is a tight-knit community. This made Auden feel even more like an outsider because everyone knew her and she didn’t know them. 

The transition is hard for Auden because she hasn’t had any simple social experiences that all high schoolers have experienced because she has been under a lot of academic pressure. Everything begins to change when one late night she meets a guy named Eli at the pier. Both are people who can never sleep at night so they spend their late nights together. 

Through these late nights Auden and Eli have become best of friends, Eli helps Auden experience things she has never experienced. They decide to go on a journey to do all of the things that she hasn’t experienced which is later called the Quest. 

As the summer gets into gear, Auden begins to enjoy things as a kid that she never did before and learns many lessons through this.  

This movie is related to a book by Sarah Dressan that was released in 2009. 

This movie is a great movie for any teen who is looking to go to college or is ready for summer. This movie will have twists and turns that many viewers won’t see. There are a few downsides to the movie as well. The movie needs more development of characters and to make the movie longer because of how much it will draw to the teenage eye. If you are looking for an uplifting movie, this is a great pick for you. 

Having the ability to see a teen who is struggling with divorce is huge for some kids that struggle within themselves. The best way to find this movie would be on Netflix. 

MAIN CAST:

• Auden – Emma Pasarow
• Eli – Belmont Cameli
• Dr. Victoria West (Auden’s mom) – Andie MacDowell
• Robert West (Auden’s dad) – Dermot Mulroney

Movie Graphic source: foreveryoungadult.com