What do you get when you cross a compelling storyline, outrageous humour and a superb cast of actors? The answer is Joy Ride, the new comedy from director Adele Lim. Now showing at Cineworld cinemas, this laugh-a-minute romp centres around a group of Asian-American women who embark on a madcap mission from the USA to China, meeting some shady and frankly bizarre people along the way.
The film has been getting brilliant reviews from critics and film fans alike – but why should you come and see it? Here, we highlight five of the best things about Joy Ride…
1. It was penned by two Family Guy writers
If you like rude jokes, then you’ll love Joy Ride – it’s loaded with adult themes and gross-out gags. The people responsible for the laughs are Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, both of whom contributed to the Family Guy TV series (at one point, Cherry was the programme’s only female writer). While acknowledging that the script had to be funny, the two writers understood that it had to work on other levels, too. “We really wanted it to not only be a big comedy, but… to have these emotional moments as well,” Teresa told Creative Screenwriting. “And so, it was definitely a challenge in terms of bringing in the funny parts, but also making the characters grounded, lovable and relatable.”
2. The plot is engrossing
One thing you could never say about Joy Ride is that it’s boring. The storyline revolves around a young Asian-American woman called Audrey who lives with her adoptive parents in Seattle. Promised a promotion if she can close a deal with a Chinese businessman, she sets off to Asia with her friends in tow. However, when they arrive in Beijing, the man in question refuses to do business until he knows more about Audrey’s birth parents. And so begins a frantic mission to locate her real folks. With the group encountering everyone from shady drug dealers to NBA basketball stars along the way, there’s never a dull moment!
3. It’s Adele Lim’s first film as a director
Joy Ride not only has a mainly female cast and a female writing partnership, it also has a female director in the shape of Adele Lim. This is the first time the Crazy Rich Asians scribe has directed a feature film, but she’s already got her sights on a Joy Ride sequel. “Oh my god, it would be a dream,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “Everybody who's gone to see the movie has loved it. It reminded them of being with their best friends. I think people have fallen in love with our four because the bond of friendship they have in the movie is a reflection of reality.”
4. It features a brilliant cast
The stars of Joy Ride may not be household names in the UK, but they’re all incredible performers. Lead actress Ashley Park, who plays Audrey, has numerous theatre credits to her name, having appeared in the likes of Mamma Mia!, The Sound of Music and Miss Saigon – and she’s also set to star in another new film, Mean Girls: The Musical. Ronny Chieng, who plays businessman Chao, has been seen in Crazy Rich Asians and Godzilla vs Kong. And Stephanie Hsu, who plays actress and Audrey’s former roommate Kat Huang, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once. With lots of other great talents in the film, Joy Ride is, well, a joy to watch.
5. It’s been getting some great reviews
In its first week, Joy Ride has been getting some really positive comments in the press. Wendy Ide from the Observer wrote: “The humour is crude, ribald and deliciously unsavoury – everything you could hope for, in fact.” Empire’s Iana Murray added: “Both hilarious and heartfelt, Joy Ride packs a nuanced exploration of Asian identity into a Trojan Horse comedy, filled with enough narcotics to get the blood pumping.” And Soho Film Club writer Hanna Flint opined: “Joy Ride shows what you can achieve when you have exquisite chemistry on screen and rowdy writers behind the scenes.” Why not come along to Cineworld and see what you think?
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