'Joy Ride' Review: Crazy Raunchy Asians
Joy Ride
R: Strong and crude sexual content, language throughout, drug content, and brief graphic nudity
Runtime: 1 Hour and 35 Minutes
Production Companies: Point Grey Pictures, Red Mysterious Hippo
Distributor: Lionsgate
Director: Adele Lim
Writer: Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, Teresa Hsiao
Cast: Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, Sabrina Wu, Ronny Chieng, Meredith Hagner, David Denman, Annie Mumolo, Annie Mumolo, Baron Davis, Lori Tan Chinn
Release Date: July 7, 2023
In theaters Only
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the [series/movie/etc.] being covered here wouldn't exist.
Nothing defines the summer movie season better than the quintessential R-rated studio comedy. After the Jennifer Lawrence-led No Hard Feelings left a bad taste in my mouth, all my attention went to the Adele Lim-helmed Joy Ride (formerly known under a better title: Good Fuck Asian Club). At this moment in cinema where Asian-led/helmed American-distributed narratives have been proudly extending into numerous genres, Joy Ride brings free-spirited representation to the R-rated comedy fare and offers the funniest female-led (and enby! I see you Sabrina) ensemble comedy since Girls Trip. Adele Lim said, "Forget about those Crazy Rich Asians; now it's about the Crazy Raunchy Asians." I, for one, am here for every bit of it.
Since childhood, Seattle-based overachiever lawyer superstar Audrey (Ashley Park) and free-spirited experimental artist Lolo (Sherry Cola) have been best friends. Audrey's boss instructs her to go to China to secure a business deal, but she doesn't know Chinese, for white American parents adopted her. Lolo, who lives unemployed in Audrey’s backyard as her tenant, enlists herself as her translator. But Lolo has other plans: help Audrey fulfill her dream of finding her birth mother. Lolo’s eccentric K-Pop-obsessed cousin Deadeye (Sabrina Wu) and Audrey's sex-obsessed college best friend turned Chinese soap opera TV star Kat (Stephanie Hsu) join them. When the trip goes sideways due to an encounter with an American drug dealer (Meredith Hagner), the four friends trek through China and cause mayhem and debauchery.
In the early 21st century, positive Asian representation in studio comedies was nonexistent. Asian people were the butt of jokes by white people. Whenever an Asian star was attached to a movie (usually just the Ken Jeong type), they spoke in broken English and acted like a stereotypical caricature. Within Joy Ride's few opening minutes, writers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, Teresa Hsiao, and director Adele Lim dismantle the white gaze. Audrey's white American parents ask Lolo's Chinese parents if their daughters can play together. When young Lolo and Audrey meet, it’s best friend’s love at first sight, but as they approach the slides at the playground, they encounter a racist white kid who tells them, "Slides are off-limits to ching-chongs." When Lolo rightfully says "fuck you" and rocks his shit, Joy Ride proudly declares its existence within the studio comedy fare.
Given their Family Guy background, Chevapravatdumrong and Hsiao are no strangers to crude humor. Their biggest strength via their first feature screenplay is their tight balance between adult humor and genuine heartfeltness. The womxn partake in a game of slap fighting, becoming part of a K-Pop band and covering Cardi B's “WAP” (ending in a devilish reveal), and a sexy night with basketball players that made Olivia Wilde's "Only the women cum in this" quote she wrongfully said for Don't Worry Darling have meaning. While many other films aim for shock value, which this film has its fair share of, there's a refreshing liberation within Joy Ride's raunchy material. What Girls Trip did for Black women, Joy Ride does for Asian women. It has a powerful female-charged authenticity and drive. It's nice to see female characters ogle at men and get their fuck on. Since Hollywood invented sex comedy, it was always the men getting their dicks wet, and the audiences often rooted for them to get laid. The same instance goes for the womxn here. Okay, not Deadeye since they are they/them lesbian, but you get the gist.
Above all else, the film’s core lies within the quad's friendship, specifically Audrey and Lolo's influence on each other amid the quest to find Audrey's birth mom. Audrey is a successful star lawyer stuck at a dead-end, male-dominated firm that undervalues her. Meanwhile, Lolo coasts by unemployed while working on her sexual experimental art. Both parties know how to bring the best and worst out of each other, and you examine their friendship throughout the trip. Whether it’s the long-term dynamic between Audrey and Lolo, Deadeye's want for genuine companionship, or the Wiig vs. Byrne-type beef between Lolo and Kat that develops over time, the relationship shared between these four pals is consistently in focus thanks to the cast’s impeccable chemistry.
Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, and Sabrina Wu share excellent onscreen chemistry, as they are all hilarious. Park's Audrey is the responsible leader, Cola's Lolo is the chaotic free spirit, Hsu's Kat is the drama queen, and Wu's Deadeye is the awkward wild card. As familiar as this dynamic is, the cast seamlessly embodies their respective characters' vibrant personalities because they're all from comedic backgrounds. Stephanie Hsu is a notable standout due to the sheer sex-obsessed silliness the material provides for her and her fearless commitment to the bit. The fact that this is her first role post her historic Everything Everywhere All at Once awards run is remarkable. She is so damn hilarious in Joy Ride. Give her another Oscar nomination for her devilishly hysterical performance as Kat.
Joy Ride is a great talent showcase for Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, and Sabrina Wu. Sabrina is my friend, so as biased as I sound, they rule! Initially, they're the queer awkward rep who is like Alan from The Hangover (in a neurodivergent sense) but has charm and genuinely becomes the heart of the friend group. Joy Ride is their first movie—after years of stand-up comedy experience—and they steal the show. You see the same "star is born" inkling in them we all saw in Hsu when EEAAO came out.
Any returning readers know that I'm a massive fan of the 90-minute comedy. Although Joy Ride has sufficient character development to fill its short run time, the breezy plotting leaves you wanting a bit more. The runtime is way too quick and would prosper from being a bit padded out. Joy Ride has several deus ex machina reliances and travel montages that make you feel as if the studio rushed the editor, exclaiming, “Come on, pace it faster. FASTER! Hit that 90!” Upon hearing that some queer moments between Hsu and Cola's characters got cut for time, uh, Lionsgate, you fools! Why did you do that? You know what the gays wanted! You can't throw in gay icons Jobu Tupaki and Alice Kwan—okay, I've never seen Good Trouble, I'm projecting, but somebody will get it—and not get some gay out of it, especially when Kat and Lolo got that frenemy dynamic. We all know where that leads!
Joy Ride objectifies men, targets white people, and is one of the year's best comedies. It's a rejuvenating and charming R-rated romp that balances its obscenity with a strong story about friendship and identity.
