Along for the Ride Adaptation Arrives on Netflix

Belmont Cameli as Eli and Emma Pasarow as Auden in Along for the Ride. Photo credit: Emily V. Aragones/Netflix.

Sarah Dessen’s novel, Along for the Ride, arrives on Netflix in a film adaptation starring Emma Pasarow and Belmont Cameli.

Writer-director Sofia Alvarez is the screenwriter of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and the book was a New York Times bestseller. If you’re a fan of either, you’ll probably be watching regardless of my thoughts. But if you’ve never read Dessen’s books or watched the To All The Boys movies, chances are likely that you probably won’t be interested in the film. It really depends on your own viewing interests.

Auden (Emma Pasarow) is living in Colby Beach during her final summer prior to attending college. She’s not your typical incoming college freshman, if there ever was such a thing. Auden would rather just roam the streets when people are sleeping than go to all the parties. One night, Auden meets Eli (Belmont Cameli) and the rest of her summer changes. They spend their nights going on all sorts of adventures while Eli challenges Auden in a quest to be this “whole new version” of herself. Eli hasn’t ridden his bike since his best friend died so Auden asks him if he wants to work at a store for the rest of his life or get back to riding professionally. They have to figure out how to start living life again. For Auden, this includes finally taking in experiences that she missed out on as a teenager.

While Auden goes through her own issues, she’s the child of divorce. This almost certainly plays a big role in her life. Her mother (Andie MacDowell) is around to offer advice to Auden’s step-mother (Kate Bosworth), who has a child with Auden’s dad (Dermot Mulroney).

Along for the Ride is the first of three Sarah Dessen novels that are being adapted by Netflix. Fans of the book will probably give the film a watch. With so much content on streaming, it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen after the film’s Netflix release. It will either jump into the top ten or lose itself in the algorithm. Nobody can know for sure. I say this regardless of Netflix losing subscribers. There’s just too much content weekly when you combine broadcast, cable, and streaming.

If you’re a fan of the book, Along for the Ride might be more appealing to you than to the average person looking for something to watch.

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: Sofia Alvarez
CAST: Emma Pasarow, Belmont Cameli, Kate Bosworth, Dermot Mulroney, Andie MacDowell, Laura Kaiuki, Marcus Scribner, Genevieve Hannelius, Samia Finnerty, Ricardo Hurtado, Paul Karmiyran

Netflix launches Along for the Ride on May 6, 2022. Grade: 3/5

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Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.