NOW IN THEATERS! I’ll be honest, but after watching the trailer for Joy Ride, I didn’t have much hope for it other than the fact that Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians) was the writer/director. Joy Ride is one of the best comedies to come out this year…no thanks to the trailer.
Joy Ride is about two childhood best friends: Audrey (Ashley Park) and Lolo (Sherry Cola). The two were the only Asians (Chinese specifically) in an all-white Mid-Western community. Audrey was adopted by her white parents, and Lolo’s family immigrated to the U.S. Audrey is also the more reserved of the two. At the same time, Lolo is the bulldog, willing to get into it with anyone that crosses their paths.
Now adults, Lolo is a poor artist who fancies dildos and sex toys in her art. At the same time, Audrey is a successful lawyer who needs Lolo to accompany her to China and close a deal with businessman Chao (Ronny Chieng) and act as Audrey’s translator. Every goes well, except Chao doesn’t respect Audrey because she doesn’t know her mother and gives her until the end of the week to find her biological mother to attend Chao’s business party.
As the title implies, Joy Ride becomes a road film. Joining the pair is Audrey’s cousin, Deadeye (Sabrina Wu)—a K-Pop geek, and Audrey’s college roommate (and best friend), Kat (Stephane Hsu), who is a famous actress in China. The four hops on a train to find Audrey’s mother, and their journey goes off the rails when they hook up with an American, Jess (Meredith Hagner), whom everyone but Audrey knows is a drug dealer. After a mishap with some cocaine, the four are thrown off the train in the middle of nowhere to fend for themselves.
Sabrina Wu as Deadeye, Ashley Park as Audrey, Stephanie Hsu as Kat, and Sherry Cola as Lolo in Joy Ride. Photo Credit: Ed Araquel
“…gives her until the end of the week to find her biological mother and to attend Chao’s business party.”
I’ll be honest, this film is billed as a raunchy female comedy, and to this point, I’ve never seen a good female-driven raunchy comedy. My complaint was that none of the so-called “raunchy” films ever went far enough on the “raunch” scale and played it safe. Joy Ride goes way too far and is not safe. The stereotypical “sex montage” in the middle of the film is fresh and unique and downright sexy…though without nudity, but it’s hilarious.
The source of the said “raunchiness” comes in the sex-obsessed characters of Lolo and Kat. Lolo just says whatever “filth” comes to mind, and Lolo’s perfect counter is the “virginal” Kat, who is not a virgin, is the sex-starved celebrity who is really starving for…sex. The raunchiness works because Adele Lim paces the jokes perfectly in both timing and frequency. The film is packed with jokes but never feels overwhelming. It’s also packed with jokes that work as a joke and are appropriate for the character involved in that joke.
Joy Ride can’t all be fun and games. It needs a story that has heart, which sets this film apart from the teen sex comedies of my youth. There’s real heart here. Set aside the tear-jerking story of Audrey’s biological mother. The story is essentially the career-focused Audrey putting her career and ambitions over her friends…especially Lolo. Now add the B-stories of Deadeye trying to find acceptance among her new friends and Kat trying to save her engagement with her very conservative fiance.
Joy Ride breaks through all the preconceived notions of female-led sex comedy and an all-Asian cast. Director Adele Lim has brought back for this brief moment in time the over-the-top sex comedy and delivers.
