By Robert Ernest (@thatRobster | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This review is spoiler-free.
Joy Ride joins an already heavy bag of outlandish, road trip-style comedies and while it definitely delivers on the depravity and hilarity, it sets itself aside from other giants such as Bridesmaids and Girls Trip by containing so much substance and sincerity.
Audrey (Ashley Park) and Lolo (Sherry Cola) have been best friends ever since a chance encounter in a playground as kids. Pushed together for being the only Asians in town, body-positive artist, Lolo has always protected high achieving lawyer, Audrey and their next adventure takes them on a work trip to China. Firmly sticking to the genre rules, two become four as Lolo’s K-pop obsessive cousin, Deadeye (Sabrina Wu) and Audrey’s Chinese soap star friend, Kat (Stephanie Hsu) join the fun.
Their plans are uprooted when Lolo orchestrates an adventure to find Audrey’s birth mother to discover where she really comes from. But along the way, the four ladies find themselves embroiled in all kinds of capers involving sex, drugs and rock’n’roll – all of which have genuine laugh-out-loud moments. There’s no orifice or bodily function left to the imagination and an improvised, and quite frankly, inspired version of ‘WAP’ is an absolute highlight. Stephanie Hsu gave such a fantastic performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once, and she is equally brilliant as Kat, showing off another side to her acting skills.
Besides all the laughs, this film has a deep foundation of sentiment. There are many references to what it’s like to be Asian in America but also what it’s like to be an Asian person adopted by white parents. This throws out some really interesting commentary on being a part of all that culture as well as not being Asian enough and being ‘too white’. It was funny connecting with some of the jibes the group had about growing up with an Asian family. There is also light on the differences and prejudices between Asian communities. Deadeye offers some rare representation as a non-binary Asian and I appreciated that no fuss or big deal was made of this aspect to their character.
Although the driving force and narrative are completely original, the film does follow the track of its peers. However, the cast is fabulous and they really gel together on screen. Audrey’s discovery of her true heritage is beautifully captured and quite emotional.
Joy Ride is humorous and sincere in equal measure while it explores Asian identity, taking you on a journey of the power of accepting your true self. Most importantly, it carries a precious message … online friends can be real friends!
X-Geeks 