Joy Ride (2023)

Joy Ride is the latest comedy from Adele Lim, the co-writer of Crazy Rich Asians. It stars Ashley Park as Audrey, a successful lawyer who travels to China for a business deal, and Sherry Cola as Lolo, her best friend and translator who tags along for the trip. They are joined by two other friends, Deadeye (Sabrina Wu) and Kat (Stephanie Hsu), who turn this journey into a wild and raunchy adventure full of sex, drugs and K-pop.

Sounds fun, right? Well, not so fast. Joy Ride is one of those comedies that tries too hard to be edgy and outrageous but ends up cringey and offensive. The movie is full of gross, vulgar or stereotypical jokes, and none are very funny. For example, there’s a scene where Audrey and Lolo get high on mushrooms and hallucinate that they are in a K-pop music video with their favourite boy band. The scene is supposed to be a parody of the genre, but it comes off as mocking and insensitive to the culture and the fans.

The movie also fails to deliver on its promise of being a heartfelt story about friendship and identity. Audrey is supposed to be searching for her birth mother, who gave her up for adoption when she was a baby, but this plotline is barely explored and resolved in a rushed and unsatisfying way. Lolo is supposed to be Audrey’s loyal and supportive friend, but she often acts selfishly and irresponsibly, putting Audrey in danger and jeopardising her career. Deadeye and Kat are supposed to be quirky and fun sidekicks, but they are mostly annoying and forgettable.

The only redeeming quality of Joy Ride is the cast, who do their best with the material. Park and Cola have good chemistry, and they make some scenes work with their charm and timing. Wu and Hsu have genuine humour and emotion. The movie also features cameo appearances from Annie Mumolo, Kenneth Liu, and Awkwafina, who add star power and energy.

Joy Ride is a disappointing comedy that wastes its talented cast and its potential for being a funny and meaningful exploration of Asian-American identity. The movie tries to be a joy ride, but it feels more like a car crash.

(In cinemas in Australia – check your local movie guide for show times.)