Directed by: Adele Lim
Written by: Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao
Starring: Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, and Sabrina Wu
Runtime: 95 minutes
‘Joy Ride’: Grab your friends and enjoy this uproarious trip, an instant comedy classic, but maybe leave your easily offended Aunt Edna or sheltered Cousin Sheldon at home. Maybe.
Have you ever grabbed some friends and organized a road trip? Who hasn’t, right?
Think back to that ride to the ballgame, amusement park, beach, or “the second largest ball of twine on the face of the Earth” (a “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983) reference).
Did all your plans go perfectly?
Of course not; mine rarely do, if ever.
Going through the memory Rolodex of foolishness, I can recall:
severely burning the top of my head – for the first time - at an all-day outdoor concert
football stadium security throwing out a buddy for alcohol possession
a friend leaving his wallet on top of our rental car, and of course, we drove off
and attempting to golf 18 holes with a 30-mph wind whipping around the course during a Vegas bachelor party weekend
Well, when comedic road trips go sideways on the big screen, just about every audience member can empathize with the protagonists. Still, we can also laugh at the collection of on-screen calamities.
First-time director Adele Lim (who wrote or co-wrote over a dozen projects including, “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018) and “Raya and the Last Dragon” (2021)) maps out and drives – along with writers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao – into wild, uproarious Rated-R hilarity in “Joy Ride”.
“Joy Ride” is an instant comedy classic, and I haven’t laughed out loud that much in a movie theatre since “Jackass Forever” (2022) and the off-the-wall horror short “Gnomes” (2023). Admittedly, you will need a twisted sense of humor for the latter, but I digress.
The story centers around two BFFs, Audrey (Ashley Park) and Lolo (Sherry Cola), who met 25 years ago as, basically, the only Asian kids (their age) living in White Hills, a suburban community near Seattle.
After a few on-screen minutes, Lim, Park, and Cola fly us to the present day. Audrey is a lawyer, fast-tracking to becoming a partner, and Lolo is a talented artist with questionable tastes. Her ceramics and sculptures – shaped of genitalia - belong in the Robert Mapplethorpe wing of a modern-art museum rather than her family’s restaurant.
These besties are opposites, an “Odd Couple”, if you will, but they love one another despite their differing outlooks and career trajectories.
Speaking of trajectories, Audrey’s boss assigns her to close a big-time business deal in China, and she takes Lolo along. Audrey was adopted, and her birth mother is from China, so Lolo insists that her pal should seek her out. This is Audrey’s opportunity to connect with her family and heritage, especially since she can’t string together two sentences of Mandarin.
The ladies soon gain two more comrades as the socially awkward Deadeye (Sabrina Wu) tags along, and they meet Audrey’s college roommate, Kat (Stephanie Hsu), who has become a household name in The Middle Kingdom as a famous actress.
Admittedly, one needs to suspend disbelief that the quartet actually links up during Audrey’s critical business trip, but the four actresses share persuasive comedic chemistry, so swat away the semi-forced semantics.
Lolo’s quick-witted, direct, matter-of-fact sensibilities frequently clash with Audrey’s snug comfort zone. Our X-rated sculptor also rekindles her rivalry with Kat, as the two vie for the I’m-Audrey’s-True-Best-Friend-Forever title.
Metaphorically, think of this triad dynamic as Lolo convincing Audrey and Kat to skydive with her, but our artist removes our thespian’s parachute just before heaving her out the airplane door at 13,000 feet.
Meanwhile, Deadeye – and yes, we find out, through hilarious fashion, the reason for her nickname – is a constant source of goofball, inelegant discourse. She’s always trying to fit in with the crowd but can’t quite work with life’s square pegs and round holes.
If Lolo, Audrey, and Kat fly on this fictional plane, Deadeye will superglue herself to the wing so that she won’t be left behind.
Since “Joy Ride” is a boisterous comedy with female friends leading the way, “Bridesmaids” (2011) might be the first comparison film to come to mind. Both flicks are wickedly funny, but Paul Feig’s movie runs over two hours, and you feel the length of that winding journey.
While “Joy Ride” slides in at just 95 minutes, and before you know it, this roller-coaster ride is over. The movie goes straight for the comic jugular during the opening minutes and doesn’t let up through oodles of physical stunts, sexual and bodily fluid gags, illicit banter, and some hard narcotics for good measure, and nearly all of it lands effectively.
Lolo frequently attempts to direct traffic in China with her resourceful street smarts, but Kat’s past and Deadeye’s inelegance trip them up, while Audrey’s best-laid plans teeter on the edge of the abyss. Even though Audrey plays a risk-averse, “Steady Betty”, Park has gifts for comedy, including a miraculous impression of a famous film and literary character.
That’s just one of several surprises, including appearances by a real-life pro athlete and a memorable performance by Ronny Chieng, the most engaging actor in “M3GAN” (2022).
If I had to compare “Joy Ride” with other comedies tonally, “The Hanover” (2009) meets “There’s Something About Mary” (1998) comes to mind, but Lim’s film stands on its own, and she finds room for genuine heart through all the beautifully juvenile madness.
This critic shed some tears during the – otherwise - 95 zany minutes, and I’m sure I wasn’t alone.
But don’t go by yourself to “Joy Ride”. Grab some buddies and enjoy the funniest film of the year…so far. Just maybe leave your easily offended Aunt Edna or sheltered Cousin Sheldon at home, and your cinematic road trip should stay on course.
Jeff’s ranking
3.5/4 stars
