Joy Ride
Hey everyone, and welcome. Today, we will be talking about the film Joy Ride. Fun fact: This is Adele Lim’s director debut, but she wrote Crazy Rich Asians and Raya and the Last Dragon. This film came out in 2023 and stars Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Sabrina WU, and Stephanie Hsu. It was directed by Adele Lim. So, without further ado, let’s get right into it.
Joy Ride follows Audrey, who is going to China to close a deal so that she can get a big promotion. She is accompanied by her best friend Lolo, who is her translator, Lolo’s cousin Deadeye, and her old college roommate Cat. What starts off as a trip to get a promotion turns into a trip for Audrey to find out where her mother is and figure out where she belongs.
Joy Ride is a raunchy comedy. It has similar vibes to Girls Trip, The Hangover, or Bridesmaids.
Joy Ride had me interested in the trailers, and the film definitely didn’t disappoint. I love how a simple mission took a detour to an awesome journey. It’s raunchy, so just be warned, but it was a funny ride from beginning to end.
The cast of the film is amazing. I loved seeing the four leads interact with each other, which led to some hilarious scenes. There were moments when they weren’t getting along and other times when they were not, but no matter the situation, I felt like I was always laughing, and they complemented each other well. The scene with the drugs really showed how well the cast worked because that scene was a work of art, and I was dying laughing at that scene and what followed it. I loved how they all had different paths that they were on in their professional lives but made sure to stop what they were doing to help a friend.
Through Audrey, we see the struggle of not feeling like you fit in. It’s nice in a comedy film to take a step back and also add in some heartfelt moments and this one showed that with Audrey and her constantly feeling like she needs to prove that she belongs. It was nice in the end that we see a message from her mom who has passed which is bound to make everyone shed a tear and we learn that her mom cared for her and was forced to give her up but thought about her every day.
My favorite part of this movie was the hook-up scene. The scene shows each member of the group hanging out with some of the Chinese basketball team, which leads to some funny results. I was dying laughing when I saw all the different interactions. Then, at the end, it’s the next morning, and you see how some of the guys are actually injured. It was a funny scene and truly had me dying of laughter.
Joy Ride is a joy from start to finish. The cast is amazing, and the film will have you laughing the whole time. If you haven’t seen Joy Ride, then I highly suggest you go and check it out.
