"Joy Ride" stars Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, and Sabrina Wu. Released on July 7, 2023, the film has four friends traveling through China to search for one's birth mother. The film featured the directorial debut of Adele Lim, who co-wrote screenplays for "Crazy Rich Asians" and "Raya and the Last Dragon". Many things can happen during a girls' trip, especially in a foreign country. Some can be due to misfortunes, while others are due to something far crazier than expected. Plenty of movies involving road trips, girls' trips, or other types of trips showcased this fun and highly humorous formula, with some being funnier than others. This latest comedy is another addition to this list that's impossible to ignore but with more representation in front of and behind the camera. Of course, we also have Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg backing up the project, but for this film, our eyes are set on the people representing their heritage through the art of adult comedy. Was it a hilariously fun trip worth taking during the summer, or did it make me wish I'd stayed home instead? Let's find out. The story centers on Audrey Sullivan (Park), an adoptee with white parents living in Seattle with her childhood friend, Lolo Chen (Cola). Audrey works as an overachieving lawyer, while Lolo makes sex-positive art. The two friends take a work trip to China to close a business deal with the businessman Chao (Ronny Chieng), so Audrey can get promoted. However, in order to do so, Chao has to meet Audrey's birth family, whom she has never met. With the help of Lolo's socially awkward cousin Deadeye (Wu) and Audrey's college roommate Kat (Hsu), the gal pals embark on a wild journey to find Audrey's birth parents. If you've watched the other films involving comical road trips in one country or the other, then you'll know what to expect from "Joy Ride". You have a group of friends on a "point A to point B" quest that isn't without a few mishaps testing their friendship. Since the movie is R-rated, there's no doubt these mishaps will involve adult language, sex, drugs, and a devil tattoo on a woman's entrance hole. But, of course, those trips aren't complete without a few heartfelt moments to tug on our heartstrings. Most road trip comedies have moments of entertainment and hilarity that we wouldn't mind watching again, even though some strayed too far into the bizarre humor. "Joy Ride" marks another occasion where it provides a near-perfect blend of comedy and heart to make its formula more entertaining than ever. While it features the usual hijinks we've expected, the film also depicts interracial adoption and self-discovery, in which Audrey seeks to find her true heritage after being raised by white parents. It also examines the discrimination against Asian people, including Asian Americans, with the characters judging them based on their heritages and appearances. However, it doesn't reflect this topic in a harmful or offensive light. Instead, the film pokes fun at it while being self-aware of these remarks. This element was handled very well due to its screenplay by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao. Regarding its hilarious dialogue between the cast, the script honors the movie's representation of this culture and its people but also successfully mocks it through the shock value. After writing the scripts for her previous movies, Adele Lim takes a shot at directing one involving Asian culture. Regarding my earlier experience with her work, I didn't love "Crazy Rich Asians" as much as I hoped despite its cast and representation. However, I did like what she and Qui Nguyen accomplished in their script for "Raya and the Last Dragon". So I was curious to see if she could represent her culture behind the camera as effectively as she did with her writing. It's easy to say that Lim managed to pull that feat off easily. She understood the balance between adult comedy, raunchiness, and sentimental charm but always retained its light-hearted yet wildly fun tone amid its amusing absurdity. It'll be interesting to see if it'll be enough for Lim to get more directing gigs in the future. The film also benefited from its compelling cast, including the four main leads. Ashley Park and Sherry Cola were immensely entertaining together as Audrey and Lolo regarding their chemistry. However, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu were the movie's best parts. Hsu has amazed me with her dual performance in last year's "Everything Everywhere All at Once", and she continues to impress with her role as Kat, whose humor comes from her sexually promiscuous personality. Sabrina Wu's Deadeye was also great for providing a vital role in the movie's theme of friendship and the character's K-pop obsession. By the way, the girls performing a song as a K-pop idol group was one of my favorite scenes of "Joy Ride". Ronny Chieng also had some decent moments as Chao and former basketball player Baron Davis made his small appearance worth the price of admission. Overall, "Joy Ride" is a wildly hilarious road trip that also packs plenty of heart and representation in its trunk. Its elements from other road trip comedies may have that familiar touch, and some of its adult jokes will depend on people's tolerance toward them. However, its narrative has enough surprises, charisma, and laughs to deliver another gut-busting and satisfying experience that's worth taking your friends to. Additionally, it showcases that there's more than enough room for people from different cultures to shine in the comedy genre, both those behind the scenes and the actors themselves. Thanks to its highly delightful cast, Lim's direction, well-handled screenplay, and great humor, "Joy Ride" is the best comedy of the year since "The Blackening". I recommend this one to those seeking a fun and wild trip amid the action-packed summer blockbusters. B+
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