‘Joy Ride’- Film Review: One of the Year’s Funniest Comedies?

There’s nothing like having that raunchy summer comedy that revolves around friends getting into the craziest situations. Since Joy Ride premiered at SXSW this past Spring, that’s enough to persuade me to think it could be something special since I usually end up walking out in surprise after hearing those reactions. You go into this already expecting some big laughs and a few tender moments here and there. Truthfully, this is the kind of movie I needed to see in theaters since this past week almost had me reevaluating my life.

Thankfully, it’s just great timing finally seeing some well-worth comedies on the big screen recently, and the release of Joy Ride might be one of the best if you’re looking for a hilarious female ensemble that’s never boring.

What’s the Story: Ever since childhood, Audrey Sullivan (Ashley Park) and Lolo Chen (Sherry Cola) have been best friends since they were the only Asian kids in the White Falls community. They’ve always had each other’s backs, supporting through their highs and lows since Audrey is the adopted daughter of white American parents. Years later, their career paths differ greatly as Audrey is a successful attorney at a law firm on the verge of a promotion, while Lolo lives in her guest house and makes sex-positive art. When Audrey has to go on a business trip to Beijing to close an important deal, she asks Lolo to be her interpreter. Along with them are Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), Lolo’s socially awkward cousin who’s obsessed with K-pop, and Kat (Stephanie Hsu), Audrey’s college roommate, a famous soap opera actress overseas. This could also be the perfect opportunity to search for Audrey’s biological mother.

The fact that Joy Ride is entertaining doesn’t change one’s expectations for viewing absurd road trip movies. Although she previously wrote Crazy Rich Asians and Raya and the Last Dragon, it’s hard to imagine Adele Lim is directing her debut movie. Yet, this sense of confidence in her direction never came across as lazy. Combined with a screenplay by Teresa Hsiao (Awkwafina is Nora from Queens) and Cherry Chevapravatdumrong (Family Guy), they know what you’re in for, letting everyone know women can still run the same track as men for a breezy 95 minutes that doesn’t overstay its welcome. That, and getting to chance to see the representation of the Asian community in the past year alone, is an accomplishment. Because when you have a road trip movie, you know nothing will go that easy for our characters, from when to quickly hiding large amounts of drugs from an American drug mule on a train or an unbelievable experience with some basketball players. All the while, Audrey is trying to discover her roots in if she really considers herself an Asian-American and has no connection to China besides her mom.

Watching the relationship between its stars develop is what keeps this movie tightly together; you can’t help but enjoy it. Ashley Park, Stephanie Hsu, Sherry Cola, and Sabrina Wu each get a chance to shine without overshadowing each other, creating a group of girls who couldn’t be more dissimilar from one another. This is especially true given their rivalry with Lolo and Kat, but their chemistry shines through the physical humor even better than expected. Park, who most will know from Emily in Paris, makes for a charismatic lead as the straight woman of the quartet. Stephanie Hsu is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses (and a crush), especially since she’s fresh off her recent Oscar-nominated role in Everything Everywhere All at Once, and you wouldn’t expect her character Kat to keep the secret to her Christian fiancé that she’s a virgin. The only one of the four I wasn’t familiar with was comedian Sabrina Wu, and they impressed me by making me like Deadeye. There’s always the misunderstood oddball of a friend group that’ll take its time to care for, and Wu made their character almost relatable by wanting to feel accepted and not annoying as I feared. No matter what, anyone will find one of these easy to relate to.

If you’re one of those who didn’t find the trailer all that funny will be in shock by how well the humor works in this, especially for an R-rated comedy nowadays. Not the types that had me on the floor based on the situational setups, but the kind that had me laughing in the next scene or surprised by how far they went in dealing with sex or drugs. Probably not for those who’ll get easily offended. Just when I thought the four of them dressed as fake K-pop stars and performed a cover of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP,” I was wrong about how it ended, and it will leave most pretty unprepared.

There’s some familiarity to be had with the story when we’ve seen some of the most memorable comedies of the modern age that follow the same line, such as The Hangover, Bridesmaids, or Girls Trip (all three I think are great) that automatically come to mind while you’re watching. The comparisons to those great movies are evitable, and while it’s easy to know where the rest of the story is coming from, all that matters is the journey in getting to know these characters. I did just that in keeping the theme of friendship intact, proving that much-needed heart I can’t overlook. All four friends find themselves imperfect, but who would’ve thought this crazy trip would be some kind of self-discovery for them and loving themselves for who they are. This doesn’t forget about the characters in the middle of the hijinks, and you might get a tear in your eye near the end. After seeing how well No Hard Feelings did at the box office recently, I’m not saying this needs to make over $100 million. Still, this is something that audiences shouldn’t ignore and wait for it to come on VOD when we need all the support for good original comedies out there.

Overall, Joy Ride will be remembered fondly as one of the year’s funniest comedies I got to see this year thus far. Is it similar to other raunchy ensembles we’ve seen in the past? Of course. But that doesn’t take away from Adele Lim’s debut providing big laughs, unexpected moments of heart, and authentic chemistry with its four leads, making me want to see them work together again.