If you were born before this Christmas, then you know that the buddy comedy starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart Ride Along opens today. Since Ice Cube has already proven his ability as the straight man in several comedies, and Hart is the most famous standup comic turned movie star since Eddie Murphy, Ride Along will likely satisfy the millions of people who flock to theaters this weekend.

But before you fork over upwards of $14 (that price will never not be shocking), here are some details about the movie that may serve to enhance your experience:

Jason Mantzoukas co-wrote this movie

You know Rafi from FXX’s The League? How about the voice of reason to Sasha Baron Cohen’s idiot tyrant in The Dictator? The Arab-looking dude from HBO’s Enlightened, perhaps? Well anyway, Mantzoukas is a funny guy who’s been making his rounds in Hollywood after dominating the New York improv scene for over a decade. And upon perusal of the subway poster for Ride Along, I saw that his name was listed as one of the script writers. Despite how few black writers there are with screenwriting credit (as in none), Mantzoukas’s involvement on the project can guarantee enough laughs to forgive the dearth. Besides, Kevin Hart’s ad libs render most written lines obsolete, anyway.

Tim Story knows what he’s doing

The cynic in me believes the reason promos did not mention that Ride Along is brought to us by the maker of Think Like A Man, a box office hit, is that Hollywood doesn’t want director Tim Story, a black man, to have too much momentum in the industry. But the more even-keel side of me says that the marketers were probably too dense to realize that regardless of the difference of genre, audiences would feel assured that their money ($14?!) is in the capable hands of a proven filmmaker. Ride Along has a more universal demographic than Think Like A Man to be sure, but fans of the latter would more easily build a loyalty to Story had the promos mentioned the connection. But nooooooo, that would give Tim Story leverage to make movies that might both be good AND about black people WITHOUT OPPRESSION BEING A PRIMARY THEME >gasp<!

Sorry, I got a bit carried away. Wait—I’m not sorry; that’s a real problem!

Moving along…

Laurence Fishburne!

Since anyone could find this information, I don’t apologize to those who consider it a spoiler, but Laurence Fishburne AKA Jimmy Jump AKA Bumpy Johnson AKA Othello AKA Thurgood Marshall AKA Morpheus AKA that weird street punk from Death Wish 2  plays someone named Omar in Ride Along. For whatever reason, the promotional materials omitted his casting, which would easily draw the otherwise ambivalent middle-aged audience to the theaters. Well, now you know, so get your old asses over to the Cineplex and get your laugh on (the kids don’t say that anymore, but screw them; they can’t afford to see this movie. $14?!).

And in case you’ve been stuck in bridge traffic for the past 4 months, have a look at the trailer: