I read the book; I still have the original hardcover copy. I loved Sarah Dessen in my early teens. I identified with her heroines; they often had hardened pasts, a jaded edge, perfectionism, social awkwardness, and a sudden drive to become someone new; I found that relatable.
Along for the Ride follows an 18-year-old girl, Auden (Emma Pasarow), from her high-stress academic life to a laid-back beach town. First things first, does the movie stay true to the book? Yes, I guess, for the most part. Some things are omitted, most likely for time or to simplify the plot. However, these cuts may have oversimplified the plot; without additional characters and their side quests (haha, if you know, you know) the story feels a little… empty.
I think the film did an okay job with the parents’ story, although it felt, at points, the cast (Dermot Mulroney in particular) gave up mid-performance. Andie MacDowell plays the hardened, elitist feminist Victoria, a.k.a. Auden’s mother, and Mulroney plays the father, Robert. MacDowell so often plays the easy-going, fun-loving girl next door it was interesting to watch her do something else and, for the most part, I’ll say she succeeded. Mulroney felt more at home in his character – if only he were a little more committed to the script; Robert is a character who perfectly captures weaponized incompetence, a timely portrayal. Heidi, the pink-loving stepmom (Kate Bosworth), was portrayed well yet… absent? We got Heidi’s full story but somehow, she still felt two-dimensional.
I enjoyed Sarah Dessen’s Along for the Ride for its perspective on Auden’s parents’ failings and coming to understand how they did her wrong. I’m glad the movie didn’t cut this plotline, but at the same time, I’m not sure they did it justice. The movie also cut out Auden’s older brother who rounded out the parents’ story and spiced up Auden’s childhood.
Auden’s love interest Eli (Belmont Cameli) is a complex character…in the book. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed watching the love story between these two but… it feels like they took a hacksaw to his personality and story. I don’t think the movie acknowledges once that Jake and Eli are brothers – something that added a splash of conflict to the original story (something the movie searches for). Also, we spend so little time with Eli and never see him without Auden’s presence or perspective, movie Eli has no chance to flesh out his arch. Instead, we’re given heavy-handed exposition from other characters and his contrived trauma response in a parking lot.
The friend group is a bit of a mess: Maggie’s arch (Laura Kariuki) felt rushed and then dropped, Leah (Genevieve Hannelius) and Esther (Samia Finnerty) were never given much but given they had nothing else to focus on their chemistry as a friend group could have been stronger, and making Esther queer was a nice touch but without seeing her be queer, what was the point?
The boys felt like afterthoughts: the Bike Shop name was a running bit in the book and came way too late in the film and reveal is so much less gratifying, which is another reason Eli needed time in his own space. We needed to see his story develop seperate from Auden and for his supporting cast to matter.
If you’re wondering what my take on the main character is, well… Along for the Ride took a look at the superiority complex of the elitist woman. Auden, like her mother, looked down her nose at the pink, frilly displays of femininity in the name of opposing the patriarchy. Auden’s arch works to show that their supposed superiority is misogynist. She discovers that even pink has layers; Maggie is more than what she seems, and so is Heidi. However, Auden in the film lacks an elitist edge to make her arc all that justifiable. Emma Pasarow’s performance is passable, but it doesn’t help the film’s dire need for tension.
I still enjoyed the film. I loved the book as a tween. It was part of an impressionable time for me and holds a special place in my heart. I just think the movie could have been better. I wouldn’t call it a flop era but it’s certainly surprising coming from the To All the Boys I Loved Before alum Sofia Alvarez. Her interpretations of those books were so tight that it’s irregular that this story feels loose or empty. That being said, Along for the Ride is her directorial debut, and in that case, Alvarez has done an okay job, and I hope she’s given opportunities to improve.