Joy Ride

I was cackling and guffawing through this. I could predict every plot point and yet I wasn't bored at all. A by-the-numbers raunchy comedy that worked.

Hsu has been a roll. From her ATT commercials, to Mrs Maisel, to Everything EVerywhere, and now this, she's starting be a must-watch star for her comedic stuff. The other cast members I hadn't seen before but they were all pretty good.

I think one of the reasons, this worked for me was I know people like this. There are two people in my office who kinda of act like these characters, the KPOP nut and the stoner art chick.

Worth the price of admission.

I have to admit that I wasn't really harboring much of any expectations to this 2023 comedy titled "Joy Ride" since the synopsis wasn't really all that interesting. But with it being a movie that I hadn't already seen, then of course I opted to give the movie a fair chance.

And luckily so, because writers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, Teresa Hsiao and Adele Lim put together a script and storyline that was as entertaining as it was funny and enjoyable. I was genuinely surprised and entertained by director Adele Lim's 2023 movie. And I am glad that I opted to sit down and watch it.

The storyline is a nicely written one of friendship and also coming to learn about oneself and one's heritage. Actually there are several layers to the script and storyline, and they compliment one another quite nicely, and the writers really collaborated quite well in compiling a rather enjoyable comedy here.

There are some really good and genuinely funny moments throughout the course of the movie, and director Adele Lim had me laughing several times.

Not only was the storyline nice in the movie, but th character gallery as well. The four main characters in the movie, Audrey (played by Ashley Park), Lolo (played by Sherry Cola), Kat (played by Stephanie Hsu) and Deadeye (played by Sabrina Wu) were well-written characters with interesting characteristics and traits to them. I really enjoyed these four characters and their interactions and the situations they find themselves in throughout the course of the 95 minutes that the movie ran for.

The acting performances in "Joy Ride" were great, and the four main actresses Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu were not only well-cast for the roles and characters, but they also carried the movie quite nicely throughout the entire movie. And a lot of the overall enjoyment of the movie definitely rest on their accomplishments throughout the narrative of the movie.

If you enjoy comedies with a solid storyline as well, offering more than just cheap slapstick comedy, then director Adele Lim's 2023 movie "Joy Ride" certainly is well-worth taking 95 minutes to sit down and watch.

My rating of "Joy Ride" lands on a seven out of ten stars.

The entire review could just be hey this movie is freaking funny and you should go see it. You don't have to read on. It hits straight out of the park and after the snooze fest movie I was watching before this it woke me up. Definitely has the hangover vibes and it's littered with unforgettable scenes.

It's a really fun sound track too, people were vibing and laughing in the cinema, definitely a movie you can watch on a Friday night with friends. On a side note it feels good to know enough Chinese to not need the subtitles. Also, i studied in Beijing for 5 years and this is the most chinese people I've seen speak English. The cast was great, like they were made for their roles and it looked like they had fun making it. It really is a joy ride, a chaotic international road trip adventure.

This is the funniest movie I've seen in a while, also probably the best movie I've seen in general too since everything everywhere all at once. Of course that's a high bar but this is if that, the hangover and crazy rich Asians had a daughter. Everybody at the theater seemed to be enjoying it, it really makes use of it's R rating so if you're prude or pious then it won't be for you. The story's amazing, I wasn't even expecting a plot twist; there's actually more to the story than just jokes even though it's littered with them. Story about friendship and family and finding yourself and avoiding drug dealers on trains. There's a lot of debauchery but it's beyond that and it's a beautiful touching story once the funny business is put aside. The first two thirds of the movie is mainly comedy so the emotional stuff almost hits you as a surprise.

I think the end was a little predictable and parts of the third act felt a little dragged out, just a tiny bit. The first half of the movie made me hope they make sequels, but the second half closed off the stories perfectly and I think they should just keep it a one off. The cast has talked about sequel though and I'll still be excited for it nevertheless. I definitely highly recommend you watch this, in a crowded theater if you can.

Finally, a film this summer with the joy of Crazy Rich Asians and the raunchy absurdity of a Judd Apatow comedy or Bridesmaids or The Hangover. Why not? Because Joy Ride is produced by Seth Rogan, who knows absurd raunch, and directed by CRA's writer, Adele Lim.

The four stars of the film (Ashley Park as Audrey, Sherry Cola as Lolo, Sabrina Wu as Deadeye, and Stephanie Hsu as Kat) set out on a journey to Asia to help Audrey the lawyer do a job to guarantee her promotion and ultimately find her birth mother. The acerbic Lola goes to help her best bud, Audrey, who doesn't know Mandarin and Lola does. Deadeye has serious K-pop knowledge, and Kat, now a China screen star, is engaged to an attractive but very Christian co-star (Desmond Chiam).

Holding the chaos in check, Audrey, who orchestrates most of the comedy while retaining her laughably prim attorney vibe, is in a role easily evocative of Kristen Wig's in Bridesmaids. Deadeye plants the film firmly in the current gender identity arena.

Along the way they joke about both Asian and American stereotypes with the joie de vivre of healthy young women having a little fun far away from political correctness and decorum. Perhaps the best of the wildness comes in a reworking of the Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion big hit, "WAP." Catchy and inventive, that song has legs.

Amid the off-color jokes and absurd sexual situations is a theme of finding out who you are amidst the cultural pulls of Asia and America. Stereotypes of Asians and Asian Americans are rampant with attending laughs-nothing is off bounds for this satire.

The genius of Joy Ride is the consistently funny, ribald dialogue (Kat says, "My vagina is the devil and she's here to stay!") and rapid set ups that are hilarious and culturally relevant. Watch the Asian response when a family has a group hug: "White People." Enjoy your summer by starting out with this satisfying international work of comedic art.

As of this month, Malaysian American filmmaker Adele Lim has released her directorial debut called Joy Ride. Written by former Family Guy writers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao and co-produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the film has currently been garnering strong critical reviews and a fairly warm response from the general public. In a day and age where we are seeing a lot more representation in Asian American filmmaking, it's delightful to see a fun filled chick flick focusing on real people who are as messy and heartfelt as anyone else out there.

The film focuses on childhood friends Audrey Sullvian and Lolo Chen whose friendship comes to near turmoil on a business trip that leads into the origins of Audrey's real life family, all the while conflicting with the lives and careers of their friends and family. With the film establishing Audrey and Lolo's longtime friendship and contrasting differences, with one trying to discover themselves as a mature hard working lawyer and the other being a raunchy aspiring artist, arguably the most notable themes in Joy Ride deal with identity crisis and cultural expectations. In addition to the struggles of Lolo's quirky K-pop obsessed cousin Deadeye and Audrey's former college roommate turned popular Chinese actress Kat, the amount of conflicts the leads share as Asian American women of different backgrounds makes for a genuinely intriguing watch. Aided by a lot of hysterically energetic banter between Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu, one can see how much heart was elevated through an otherwise crazy thrill ride as far as raunchy comedies go these days.

Speaking of raunchy, perhaps the biggest selling point for the whole movie has to be the wacky hijink raunch factor as opposed to the heart. While there are a lot of observational jabs and one liners directed towards people based on race and gender, most of the humor relies on the shock value our leads get themselves into as they encounter one intense obstacle after another. Complete with full body cringe takes and raw sexual banter, there is almost no stoppage of comical situations to enhance the viewing experience, even if some scenes are less tasteful than others. As far as the filmmaking is concerned, Lim knows how to balance the more laid back conversational moments between characters before allowing the scenery to hone in on multiple exterior locations and fast paced timing. Paul Yee's cinematography helps the most in generating some brightly colorful sequences to expose the richness of China and its many exterior wonders. As introspective as the movie can be from a character study point of view, it also knows when to just have fun with itself.

While it is hard to say if Joy Ride will appeal to all movie going audiences during the intense summer blockbuster season, there is just enough sincere heart and shock humor around this character driven sex comedy. If you're down for a more intensely hysterical gross out road trip comedy as opposed to the bigger adventure and action flicks out there now, this one will definitely be up your alley, regardless if you relate to the characters culturally or not. As far as what this film may do for the careers of its lead filmmakers and actors, here's hoping this unapologetically honest film will keep the momentum going for a while.