‘Joy Ride’ Is A Hilarious, Raunchy Rom-Com About Friendship And Self-Discovery – Review
It is prime time for an Asian women-led comedy, and Joy Ride does not disappoint.
From the get-go, the tone is set for a fun and chaotic time ahead. Writers Adele Lim, Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, and Teresa Hsiao created a side-splitting, raunchy comedy with Lim excelling in her directorial debut. The movie stars Ashley Park as Audrey Sullivan, Sherry Cola as Lolo Chen, Stephanie Hsu as Kat, and Sabrina Wu as Deadeye.
The movie is reminiscent of several comedy tropes, situational chaos, and strengths akin to the movie Bridesmaid including an incredibly strong ensemble cast. One of the strongest features of Joy Ride is the fantastic casting choice of Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, and Sabrina Wu as the main ensemble. Their chemistry is electrifying and off the charts. They bounce off of each other so well with their quips and interactions. Their comedic lines are well-delivered and hilarious, and their sentimental moments are emotional and tear-jerking. While the cast individually are strong in their respective characters, they shine most when together. I wanted to see more of their adventures together. This is me manifesting that into the universe to get a series focused on these four and all of their vacation adventures.
Not to mention, this movie has some great eye candy. While it certainly makes the movie more enjoyable to watch, it does a great job of putting some incredibly handsome Asian men on screen as a means to combat the stereotype that Asian men are not attractive or hot. Just watch this movie to know that that stereotype is incredibly false (and obviously incredibly racist).
What touched me the most, though, was seeing all the various cultural references I understood and even lived through. There have been a lot of media lately that highlight a lot of various Asian experiences, and this one joins the ranks. There are references and inside jokes that are funny on a superficial level, but it is all the funnier as an Asian person who grew up with very similar cultural backgrounds. Not only that, it tackles microaggressions in the face and does so that supplies a very satisfying feeling.
Overall, the movie is a raunchy, hilarious, fun time. Some of the scenes can provide a little bit of cringe and secondhand embarrassment, but that’s part of the norm and shock factor for this kind of comedy. Joy Ride is a fun watch that packs a lot in a short amount of time with an outstanding ensemble cast. It revels in some of its absurdity because there are definitely loopholes that go unanswered. But none of that takes away from the feel-good, heartwarming, and hilarious time audiences will have when watching. Lim has pulled out all the stops and made a wild ride of a directorial debut. It was truly a hilarious movie with a heart that I did not know that I desperately needed in my life, and so do you.
Rating: 8/10
Joy Ride is in theaters now
