Joy Ride

In her directorial debut, Adele Lim delivers an unhinged, comedic examination of family, identity, and self-acceptance.

A lifelong bond starts on the playground between Audrey and Lolo. Many years later Audrey is an overachieving lawyer while Lolo is an expressive artist living in Ashley’s backyard. Tasked with closing a big deal, Audrey is headed to China with the help of Lolo as a translator on the trip. Lolo pushes Audrey to consider tracking down her birth mother on their trip, which Audrey politely declines. Rounding out the group is Lolo’s socially online-obsessed cousin, Deadeye, and Audrey’s college roommate, Kat. Their clashing personalities and cultural misunderstands lead them on an odyssey across Asia.

Joy Ride quickly heads into bold territory without holding back. From a full-scale K-Pop production to a sex scene involving a theragun and cocaine, the energy of the film keeps you enamored with its vibrant colors and music between its major set pieces. As absurd as some moments are, it all bizarrely works because of how these characters are written and the perfect casting and commitment of the actors. Sherry Cola takes on a comedic role usually limited in these types of films and adds a layer of tenderness especially when it comes to their friendship with Ashley Park’s Audrey. Stephanie Hsu is a natural with taking on some risky physical comedy and Sabrina Wu is the real breakout star of this ensemble with dry deadpans.

While Joy Ride is filled with outrageous laughs, at its core is Audrey’s story of her Asian American identity. She ponders the thoughts of being raised by white parents, the impacts on how Chinese she is, and the moment when the identity you’ve known all your life is stripped from you. Park as Audrey allows these moments to be full of complexity as she cycles from denial to acceptance. Audrey’s story keeps the overall film grounded, but it halts the comedy of the film to transform into a light drama that feels like a separate film after some of the raunch exhibited throughout the first half of the film.

Joy Ride is an unforgettable theatrical experience full of sentimentality and chaos.