Some traits skip a generation. Others, such as bull riding, don’t necessarily follow the same pattern. Ride, a triumphant new indie film out of Texas, explores three generations in this tough industry and all that it has to offer. From director-star Jake Allyn (No Man’s Land), Ride also benefits from an extremely talented supporting cast, including veteran character actor and former rodeo star C. Thomas Howell (The Outsiders). The heartfelt new drama is set in modern Texas but basks in decades-old traditions that have taken their toll on a hardened family trying to make it in the rodeo biz amid skyrocketing inflation and more. You’ll jump for joy at times and find yourself hugging your pillow for comfort at others.

It’s a wild ride, pun intended, and we recently caught up with Allyn and Howell in separate interviews to learn more about their real-life passion for rodeos, past work with certain icons, and how they were able to pull off such impactful authenticity in this little indie that could.

“Breaking Bad in Texas”
Ride (2024) Release Date June 14, 2024

Ride is co-written by Allyn and Josh Plasse, who initially came to Allyn with an idea he described as “Breaking Bad in Texas,” as Allyn explained to MovieWeb. “Once rodeo was brought into the picture, I very much was like, ‘I know that world, and I have something to say about that,'” he said, adding:

“And then it definitely started to lend itself a bit more to my voice. And he graciously, particularly when it kind of came to me directing the film — you know, you can have two writers, but a movie needs one director, needs one voice on set — and one of the most cowboy things he ever did was step back and say, ‘Jake, you’re the leader.’ And so I appreciate that from him.”

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C. Thomas Howell on Making a ‘Legit’ Cowboy Movie

Howell came on board to play Allyn’s dad in the film, a former rodeo star — and it’s a role Howell was born to play. “When I first read [the script], I was like, ‘Oh, wow. The last thing I want to be involved with is a production about the cowboy community that isn’t legit,’ you know?” he told us. adding:

“Hollywood tends to make movies, Westerns, modern-day or period pieces, and if you come from a cowboy background, you can spot all those weaknesses in those movies.
You can tell who can ride and who can’t ride
, and who can really saddle a horse and who can’t… And it’s rare that you can be a part of a production where the people that are involved understand the value of that authenticity.”

It’s that authenticity that helps Ride shine as an impactful drama, even if you’re not necessarily familiar with the realm that’s particularly popular down south. “C. Thomas Howell and Forrie J. Smith, who play kind of the two elder generations of bull riders [in the film], they’re the real deal,” said Allyn. “They grew up in that sport, and so there were countless times where we were looking at the script, and I’m saying, ‘When has something like this happened to you?’ And, ‘Tell me that story, and I bet it’ll be better than whenever I wrote.’ And it usually was, and we would change it.”

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Jake Allyn on Avoiding His Own Ego to Add Authenticity

Allyn himself has real-life rodeo experience but admits that those fierce, often hard-to-watch rodeo scenes — that don’t necessarily end well — were achieved with extra help behind the scenes. “I had a stunt rider,” Allyn told us. “He was the real deal, and he quickly showed me that no matter how much training I’d done in the last couple of years, this was in his blood. And this is something he’s done since he was a baby.” He continued:

So for me to think, ‘Yeah, I’ll train really hard for two years, and I’ll be as good as you, and I’ll do my own stuff,’ that’s just not a reality. And that would be a disservice to the whole story. That would be my ego getting in the way.

Instead, Ride is pure filmmaking, no ego involved. From Well Go USA, Ride will be released in select theaters and on demand June 14, 2024. Check out the trailer below:.