06 October,2023 07:04 PM IST | Los Angeles | Johnson Thomas
Joyride movie review
If you liked âCrazy Rich Asians' then you are more than likely to gel with this raunchy, absurd exhibition of âThe Hangover' type Women's shenanigans. Produced by Seth Rogan, and directed by CRA's writer, Adele Lim (a debut-making directorial effort), this film is a romp through racially exclusive friendships and belated coming-of-age moments. Lim brings on board her experience as a successful writer on Crazy Rich Asians and Raya and the Last Dragon.
The four Asian American women Audrey(Ashley Park), Lolo(Sherry Cola), Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), and Kat(Stephanie Hsu) set out on a journey to China to help Audrey the lawyer, complete an assignment to guarantee her promotion. En route, they encounter some hick-ups and have to make a detour to help Audrey find her birth mother. Lola is acerbic and funny, Audrey is a focused, successful go-getter, Deadeye has a serious K-pop hangover, and Kat, a sexual bohemian and a small-screen star, is engaged to an attractive but ultra-conservative and Christian co-star (Desmond Chiam).
Scripted by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, Teresa Hsiao, and Adele Lim, the narrative goes from extremely funny to start with, to miserly towards its end moments. But for most of its short and sweet runtime, it's a raunchy and crass comedy that holds nothing back. The content here might not be all that deep but it's entertaining nevertheless. There's a solid plot that offers several bonding moments for the foursome, crisis drama, and comedy in fair measure. The individual storylines are also quite interesting and entertaining.
As they chug along through a minefield of self-doubt and anxious moments, and accompanied by hit music like an impromptu send-up of âWAP,' they joke about both Asian and American stereotypes, cracking ribald jokes and getting raunchier by the minute like healthy young women letting loose far away from political correctness and decorum. Ribbing at stereotypes through off-color jokes and absurd sexual exploits, the four manage to find themselves amidst the see-saw of contrasting cultural pulls. Joy Ride's dialogues are both original and howlarious and also quite with it.
The narrative is basically a strip-happy series of episodes that include a cocaine blowout episode, dirty sexual encounters with the Chinese basketball team, and ends up in a trickily-placed tattoo reveal.
The photogallery here
It may sound cringe-inducing but if you take it all in the right spirit you are bound to be rewarded. The narrative moves at a brisk pace. Paul Yee's cinematography sheds luminous light on the different experiences catered to over here. Every scene is enriched by cultural detail that provides a befitting contrast to what transpires here. This is a fun movie to watch!
