Joy Ride

Not, like, a FLOOD of movies like this, but a couple more every now and then would be great. It's funny, it has heart, and it has good performances by the co-leads.

**ALSO, IT'S A COMEDY THAT'S RATED R, IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT ENTAILS THEN THAT'S ON YOU**

Yes, the humour is lewd. Yes, there's a lot of sexual references. Yes, there's even a vagina on full display! What else would you expect from an R rated comedy than adult humour like this? Granted, you might not expect a vagina to be on full display, but it's there. Deal with it.

Also, yeah sure, some of the acting (Sabrina Wu specifically) may not be 'professional' but this was their first actual acting gig and even Meryl Streep wasn't *Meryl Goddamn Streep* in her first role! The important part is that they absolutely nailed their role, especially the scene where they were explaining the "Deadeye" nickname. The rest of the cast were a joy (pun intended) and the chemistry between the four leads was awesome. Hell, the movie itself is awesome! It only lost a point or two because the last minute or so kinda felt really out of place to me...

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.

Joy Ride has become a hilarious film, but occasionally crosses a line that is not really necessary. It ensures that the film is pure underpants fun, with the further course following the standard pattern that we have seen so much in these types of films. Still, the film definitely guarantees a fun evening and you will occasionally burst out laughing. The nicest figure in the film remains Deadeye, Lolo's niece who is crazy about K-Pop groups and is secretly in love with Audrey, but does not dare to come out publicly. There is a perfect pace in the film, the humor is largely genuinely funny and fun and the story itself can get on with it. This is perhaps the nicest banal comedy we've seen since The Hangover movies in this genre.

There's some whores in this house.

The WAP must be the highlight of the film among others.

This is a great film. I have not watched a good raunchy comedy films in a while and this is one great entry to it. It is fun and funny at the same time. It definitely has The Hangover vibes with The Bridesmaids flavour to it and has several laugh out loud moments.

Also it is clever and not just stupid dumb funny. It has heart to it as well but most importantly it's really funny. The female buddy comedy worked and it worked really well.

With the added cultural aspects and some deeper character development, this is a thoughtful examination of identity, cultural connection, personal history and growth. It's also fairly raunchy and lets it's ladies cut loose, providing a great mix of heartfelt moments and raw comedy.

A trip descending into chaos has been done many times but it still works if it's done right. As mentioned, it is sure to give plenty of laughs. The performance are all really good, with some brilliant comic timing. The four leads complement each other well and have a great chemistry throughout which is so vital in a comedy.

Overall, this film is an all and all comedy with some heart as well. Fun characters, lots of laughs, engaging plot, great performance all round. Definitely one to watch if you're looking for a good comedy.

7.7/10.