Someone didn’t get the memo. A 10-year-old-ish boy sat down with his mom in my row at the press/word-of-mouth screening, and it took maybe five minutes before the woman sitting next to the mom filled her in on Joy Ride. I watched as she hit up Rotten Tomatoes for more info, watched the trailer, and then did right by her son – nearly sprinting out of the theater with 15 minutes to spare before the screening started.
Once Joy Ride began, the raunchy, wild and crazy, completely unfiltered hard R-rated comedy confirmed the mom’s decision was spot on. For the rest of us adults in the theater, what followed the opening minutes also confirmed Joy Ride is the best R-rated female-led comedy – and one of the best R-rated comedies overall – since 2011’s Bridesmaids.
Joy Ride follows longtime best friends Audrey (Ashley Park) and Lolo (Sherry Cola) as they embark on a trip to Beijing. Audrey can’t reiterate enough how important this trip is. It’s make-or-break for her career as an attorney at a law firm where she’s the only Asian female – a fact constantly referenced by her white male boss who doesn’t quite understand the concept of political correctness. It doesn’t matter that Audrey was adopted as a child and knows hardly anything about her Asian heritage. Her boss seems to believe it’s her defining quality, and that’s why she’s been chosen to represent the firm in China.
Because Audrey knows Lolo so well – a flashback shows the duo as kids, with Lolo defending her new friend by tossing out a “f**k you” at a racist bully – she’s super leery about having her tag along. Lolo, a struggling artist whose work most often involves penises and vaginas, swears to be on her best behavior. Almost immediately, she breaks the promise by inviting her socially awkward cousin, Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), along for the trip.
Deadeye’s nothing like the totally unfiltered Lolo, and Audrey’s instantly on edge with the addition of an unknown factor into the most important business trip of her life. The final piece of the road trip comedy puzzle comes with the arrival of Audrey’s college roommate, Kat (Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu), who’s become a major Chinese television star.
Obviously, Kat is fluent in Chinese and a much more capable translator than Lolo. Which, of course, becomes a source of tension between the women and leads to Lolo constantly trying to one-up usurper Kat.
Audrey’s attempts at managing the motley crew quickly go south. What was intended to be a professional business trip devolves into an outrageous spectacle of sex, drugs, more sex, more drugs, and a K-pop cover of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP.”
No topic is off-limits and the jokes, while crass, hit their marks 10 out of 10 times. And don’t even get me started about THAT [spoiler-redacted]. Holy crap, I did not see that coming and odds are, neither will you.
Just when you think first-time feature film screenwriters Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao and director Adele Lim (who shares a story by credit) can’t possibly top themselves, they serve up an off-the-rails meeting between Audrey and the Chinese executives that she’s supposed to win over. (Vomit is involved.) Or they toss in a train ride that turns into a drug-fueled frenzy of one-liners. An encounter with a men’s basketball team (featuring Baron Davis as himself) leads to a night filled with threesomes, weird sex positions, and regrets. But for every dick joke or expletive-filled insult, Joy Ride delivers surprisingly heartfelt moments of friendship, loyalty, sisterhood, and self-discovery.
The raunchier (and I mean that in a good way) the film gets, the more it needs to nail those more earnest, character-driven emotional sequences that provide a little breathier between laughs. Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao’s script hits all the right notes without slowing the pace or ruining the vibe. They strike just the right balance, and the shifts between comedy and drama feel natural and not manipulative.
Representation matters, and it’s fantastic to see an R-rated comedy featuring Asian leads. Directed by Crazy Rich Asians screenwriter Adele Lim, Joy Ride does a fantastic job of showcasing four incredibly talented actors, with each character given moments to shine. Ashley Park, Stephanie Hsu, Sherry Cola, and Sabrina Wu are a foursome to be reckoned with. Hopefully, they won’t be passed over by critics groups and awards bodies who hand out ensemble awards. They’ve definitely made my shortlist.
If Lionsgate’s looking for a franchise to replace John Wick, they’d be smart to sign up the Joy Ride team for another road trip.
GRADE: A
MPAA Rating: R for strong and crude sexual content, language throughout, drug content, and brief graphic nudity
Running Time: 1 hour 34 minutes
Release Date: July 7, 2023
Also Starring: Ronny Chieng (Crazy Rich Asians), Lori Tan Chinn (Awkwafina is Nora From Queens), David Denman (Greenland), Annie Mumolo (Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar), Desmond Chiam (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Alexander Hodge (Insecure), and Chris Pang (Crazy Rich Asians)
Produced By: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Josh Fagen, Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, Teresa Hsiao, and Adele Lim
