Joy Ride (2023 | USA | 95 minutes | Adele Lim)
Audrey (Ashley Park), is headed to China to make the deal of her young career. With her best friend Lolo (Sherry Cola), unpredictable but loyal as can be, in tow acting as translator and Lolo’s odd cousin Deadeye (Sabrina Wu) tagging along for the ride, Audrey is already on edge. For a little moral support they meet up with her college roommate and Chinese soap star Kat (Stephanie Hsu) when they arrive. Audrey is drowning in the unfamiliar culture and to save her job and this deal she has to dig into the past she’s avoided for so long.
This is one of the raunchiest movies I’ve seen in a really long time and I absolutely loved it. I say that with tongue in cheek because it’s not the raunch that got me there, it was the leads and the unapologetic story of these four Asian-American women that have struggled to discover who they are and how to move through the world just as they are; cultural bias, racism, overzealous families and their own expectations weighing them down. For a first-time director, Adele Lim came off the bench swinging and it was the love she gave to the characters that made this a winning story, not the head-turning one-liners or ridiculous (and hilarious) comedic punches.
I have honestly never been in a theater where every single person was laughing so hard for thirty minutes straight… and that’s what you’ll get with Joy Ride if you let it. Yes, there is some seriously explicit sex scenes, a drug-related side adventure and lots of innuendoes so if you’re sensitive to that, this won’t be your bag. But, if you liked Bridesmaids, Booksmart, or really any Adam McKay movie you’ll be a happy camper.
Joy Ride arrived in all major theaters 7/6.