User Reviews

This is probably the biggest difference with how I felt about a movie at the beginning versus the end. It starts off with a really funny scene that made me burst out laughing. That scene told me what I was in for, a raunchy and crass R-rated comedy that holds nothing back. I was excited since we barely ever get those movies any more.

As it goes on, the comedy gets weaker. A lot of it feels completely forced. So much of the comedy arises from contrived situations that make no sense. Some scenes are there for no other reason than shock factor and are otherwise unfunny.

It becomes dumber and dumber until the word "dumb" isn't strong enough to describe it. And the comedic situations only happen because of this moronic writing. But I can still enjoy a comedy if it's unrealistic...

Unfortunately this movie is barely a comedy during the last act. They lean heavily on the drama side. It's so cheesy and forced, accompanied by sappy music. Even worse, it's all so predictable. A character says, "don't tell her I might move to LA." Can you guess what happens later in the movie???

But the single worst part about this movie is a character named Deadeye, whose over-the-top goofy comedic attempts are super cringe-y. It's shockingly bad.

I don't take pleasure in trashing this movie. I wanted to like it. And with comedy movies becoming so rare, I'm thirsty for anything I can get. But it has to be better than this. (1 viewing, early fan screening 7/5/2023)

Finally, a film this summer with the joy of Crazy Rich Asians and the raunchy absurdity of a Judd Apatow comedy or Bridesmaids or The Hangover. Why not? Because Joy Ride is produced by Seth Rogan, who knows absurd raunch, and directed by CRA's writer, Adele Lim.

The four stars of the film (Ashley Park as Audrey, Sherry Cola as Lolo, Sabrina Wu as Deadeye, and Stephanie Hsu as Kat) set out on a journey to Asia to help Audrey the lawyer do a job to guarantee her promotion and ultimately find her birth mother. The acerbic Lola goes to help her best bud, Audrey, who doesn't know Mandarin and Lola does. Deadeye has serious K-pop knowledge, and Kat, now a China screen star, is engaged to an attractive but very Christian co-star (Desmond Chiam).

Holding the chaos in check, Audrey, who orchestrates most of the comedy while retaining her laughably prim attorney vibe, is in a role easily evocative of Kristen Wig's in Bridesmaids. Deadeye plants the film firmly in the current gender identity arena.

Along the way they joke about both Asian and American stereotypes with the joie de vivre of healthy young women having a little fun far away from political correctness and decorum. Perhaps the best of the wildness comes in a reworking of the Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion big hit, "WAP." Catchy and inventive, that song has legs.

Amid the off-color jokes and absurd sexual situations is a theme of finding out who you are amidst the cultural pulls of Asia and America. Stereotypes of Asians and Asian Americans are rampant with attending laughs-nothing is off bounds for this satire.

The genius of Joy Ride is the consistently funny, ribald dialogue (Kat says, "My vagina is the devil and she's here to stay!") and rapid set ups that are hilarious and culturally relevant. Watch the Asian response when a family has a group hug: "White People." Enjoy your summer by starting out with this satisfying international work of comedic art.

Joy Ride is a comedy about four girls who take an unplanned trip.

The movie has a solid plot that doesn't rely on just the comedy to get things going. Rather, it offers a lot of bonding moments between the girls, some moving and emotional moments when it came to finding the main lead's biological mother, and a nice character development for the lead. The individual storylines were interesting and entertaining as well.

Also, the girls did a great job with their characters and their chemistry was undeniable.

However, the comedy part was so so, often using the shocking factor to impress and some of the jokes were even over the top. But, overall, it was a fun ride.

I can't believe I am saying this, but I've found not one, but four Asian women who are less funny and more annoying than Awkwafina: the quartet at the centre of this loud, crass and painfully dumb 'comedy' from first-time director Adele Lim, who really should consider a different career... anything but directing films.

Ashley Park plays lawyer Audrey, who travels from America to China to try and seal an important business deal; she is accompanied by her best friend Lolo (Sherry Cola) and socially awkward Deadeye (Sabrina Wu). Once in China, they are joined by soap actress Kat (Stephanie Hsu), and the four women go on a crazy road trip that involves sex, drugs and spring rolls.

Park, Cola, Hsu and Wu are about as funny as a chopstick in the eye, not one scene in this train wreck of a movie making me laugh. It's really lowest-common-denominator garbage, with gags about hiding cocaine up the rectum, vomiting, blow jobs, vaginal tattoos and three-way sex, which might have possibly worked if anyone involved had the slightest semblance of comedic talent. This lot, however, equate being funny with shouting loudly, and it's extremely grating on the nerves.

1/10. The worst film I have seen this year, and there's been some stiff competition, so that's no mean feat.

I needed the laughs from this I've been going through a lot health wise. I barely know the cast much but damn they hit the spot in this, I loved the main women! I think it's awesome that Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg produced the film they've been friends since high school they are legends. The humor is so good, the comradely is wholesome, so much is entertaining and all the diversity is so wonderful I barely know of much comedies about other cultures. Joy Ride might not get much appreciation but it's a lot of fun definitely deserves above average ratings. I loved a lot more than I thought I would even makes me interested to listen K-Pop.

In summary, the plot consists of friends going on a trip to Asia, having an adventure, while emotional weight of their failures finally causes the friendship to crack open! But, predictably, they all come out better in the end.

If you've seen the trailer, you know exactly what to expect! Maybe leaning a little too much into obscenity's and sex-themed content to keep the viewer's attention. And while it was nice to see the "required" emotional highpoint that is designed to thug at you work for a second after a few scenes of build-up! It's sadly drowned in the deafening noise that is everything else.. I don't think there was a memorable scene for me, a decent line of dialogue I liked, or joke that landed or anything truly enjoyable/rewatchable. It is certainly loud and people in it are all "crazy and fun" like no one is in reality.. but its content is too safe and expected, I feel like I've seen this a couple of times before.

Surprised to see this hitting theaters, as it is the most direct-to-streaming film I've seen in recent years. It's not annoying enough to deserve a lower score, and it's not badly produced. Still, can't recommend anyone pay money for it..

Joy Ride is a solidly entertaining X-rated comedy that will be sure to give you a good laugh.

It follows a group of American-Chinese friends who travel to China for a business trip which quickly descends into chaos.

A road trip descending into chaos doesn't exactly sound original, and it isn't. The story is unlikely to blow you away with this one, but it does the job. It leaves plenty of room for good comedic setups, and has a couple of decent emotional kickers in there too. It's well paced and has good momentum throughout.

As mentioned it is sure to give you a laugh as there are plenty of laugh out loud moments. The comedy is often quite bold and brash, but there are some nice subtle moments thrown in too. The whole theatre was laughing out loud which is always a good sign.

The performances are all really good, with some brilliant comedic timing and line deliveries. The four characters complement each other well and have great chemistry which is so vital in a comedy.

My only real criticism is that it does try a little too hard with its comedy and at times it is crude just for the sake of being crude. I can see why, as for so long women weren't really granted the opportunity to operate in the R-rated comedy space, but there was maybe a little over-correction of that imbalance here, leading to some cheap gags.

Overall though I think this film is a blast. Fun characters, lots of laughs, engaging plot, great performances. Definitely one to watch for any comedy fans out there.

The entire review could just be hey this movie is freaking funny and you should go see it. You don't have to read on. It hits straight out of the park and after the snooze fest movie I was watching before this it woke me up. Definitely has the hangover vibes and it's littered with unforgettable scenes.

It's a really fun sound track too, people were vibing and laughing in the cinema, definitely a movie you can watch on a Friday night with friends. On a side note it feels good to know enough Chinese to not need the subtitles. Also, i studied in Beijing for 5 years and this is the most chinese people I've seen speak English. The cast was great, like they were made for their roles and it looked like they had fun making it. It really is a joy ride, a chaotic international road trip adventure.

This is the funniest movie I've seen in a while, also probably the best movie I've seen in general too since everything everywhere all at once. Of course that's a high bar but this is if that, the hangover and crazy rich Asians had a daughter. Everybody at the theater seemed to be enjoying it, it really makes use of it's R rating so if you're prude or pious then it won't be for you. The story's amazing, I wasn't even expecting a plot twist; there's actually more to the story than just jokes even though it's littered with them. Story about friendship and family and finding yourself and avoiding drug dealers on trains. There's a lot of debauchery but it's beyond that and it's a beautiful touching story once the funny business is put aside. The first two thirds of the movie is mainly comedy so the emotional stuff almost hits you as a surprise.

I think the end was a little predictable and parts of the third act felt a little dragged out, just a tiny bit. The first half of the movie made me hope they make sequels, but the second half closed off the stories perfectly and I think they should just keep it a one off. The cast has talked about sequel though and I'll still be excited for it nevertheless. I definitely highly recommend you watch this, in a crowded theater if you can.

Joy Ride (2023) is a movie that my wife and I caught in theaters today. The storyline follows an orphaned Asian young lady who grew up with an Asian best friend. She grows up to be a successful lawyer and is asked to go to China 🇨🇳 and close a mega deal that will lead to a significant promotion. Her childhood best friend agrees to go with her and her best friend from college is already in China and agrees to meet her too. As the girls try to work together to close the deal everything goes wrong.

This movie is directed by Adele Lim, in her directorial debut, and stars Ashley Park (Beef), Sherry Cola (I Love Dick), Sabrina Wu (Doogie Kamealoha, MD), Stephanie Hsu (The Path), Timothy Simmons (Don't Worry Darling) and Kenneth Liu (The Midnight Club).

This movie is way better than I anticipated and actually reminded me of The Hangover. The casting for the characters was well done and fit perfectly. There's a good mix of different personalities within the storyline that are fun to watch mix. There's also some worthwhile and deep sub plots. The comedic content is fantastic, raunchy and very well written. The conclusion leaves you wanting a sequel.

Overall, this was a fantastic addition to the comedic genre that's absolutely worth your time. I would score this an 8/10 and strongly recommend it.

As of this month, Malaysian American filmmaker Adele Lim has released her directorial debut called Joy Ride. Written by former Family Guy writers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao and co-produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the film has currently been garnering strong critical reviews and a fairly warm response from the general public. In a day and age where we are seeing a lot more representation in Asian American filmmaking, it's delightful to see a fun filled chick flick focusing on real people who are as messy and heartfelt as anyone else out there.

The film focuses on childhood friends Audrey Sullvian and Lolo Chen whose friendship comes to near turmoil on a business trip that leads into the origins of Audrey's real life family, all the while conflicting with the lives and careers of their friends and family. With the film establishing Audrey and Lolo's longtime friendship and contrasting differences, with one trying to discover themselves as a mature hard working lawyer and the other being a raunchy aspiring artist, arguably the most notable themes in Joy Ride deal with identity crisis and cultural expectations. In addition to the struggles of Lolo's quirky K-pop obsessed cousin Deadeye and Audrey's former college roommate turned popular Chinese actress Kat, the amount of conflicts the leads share as Asian American women of different backgrounds makes for a genuinely intriguing watch. Aided by a lot of hysterically energetic banter between Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu, one can see how much heart was elevated through an otherwise crazy thrill ride as far as raunchy comedies go these days.

Speaking of raunchy, perhaps the biggest selling point for the whole movie has to be the wacky hijink raunch factor as opposed to the heart. While there are a lot of observational jabs and one liners directed towards people based on race and gender, most of the humor relies on the shock value our leads get themselves into as they encounter one intense obstacle after another. Complete with full body cringe takes and raw sexual banter, there is almost no stoppage of comical situations to enhance the viewing experience, even if some scenes are less tasteful than others. As far as the filmmaking is concerned, Lim knows how to balance the more laid back conversational moments between characters before allowing the scenery to hone in on multiple exterior locations and fast paced timing. Paul Yee's cinematography helps the most in generating some brightly colorful sequences to expose the richness of China and its many exterior wonders. As introspective as the movie can be from a character study point of view, it also knows when to just have fun with itself.

While it is hard to say if Joy Ride will appeal to all movie going audiences during the intense summer blockbuster season, there is just enough sincere heart and shock humor around this character driven sex comedy. If you're down for a more intensely hysterical gross out road trip comedy as opposed to the bigger adventure and action flicks out there now, this one will definitely be up your alley, regardless if you relate to the characters culturally or not. As far as what this film may do for the careers of its lead filmmakers and actors, here's hoping this unapologetically honest film will keep the momentum going for a while.

A not so funny comedy movie. At first I had high expectation but the script and some dialog are just weird and low class. Some of the characters are just stupid and unnecessary. Some of the acting was not that professional and ameture. I couldn't believe they even shot in China, Korea and even in Paris with such budget?

I was happy to see another movie with Asian as main casts. But I wish they find a better script or storyline to showcase their acting skill. The content of this movie is just not solid and some of the supporting casts are just not ready for the Hollywood movies. Kind of disappointed.

LIKES:

Quick Pace: -It feels like a joyride style pace, quick, unpredictable and very much to the point.

-Like Hangover and Due Date, it jumps quickly through the moments and gets to the point of having fun in the most concise time possible.

-And if you just want that fun, full throttle pace, then this movie has a factory that is good for you.

Exploring Parts of Asia -Good cinematography brings the country and cities to life and adds a bit more realism and fun to the mix.

-It takes the facets of life and puts the twist on it and allows you to have a fun experience that maybe gets a little more informative then you would think.

-And the theater to all the antics, was very fun, dynamic, and offered a lot land to play around in and have a lot of cultural shenanigans come out of it.

-So very fun

The Music: -Do you like K-Pop and Asian Techno? If so, this movie is for you.

-Joyride is a joy with the use of the tunes, bringing the energy of the genre out in the tunes that cover the scenic moments.

-There is a lot of beet and bass that is fun, but even more so is just how it adds that adventure and vacation atmosphere. Parties feeling upbeat with the bass, wild nights with the same vibe, and other adventures that all work with the musical genre.

-And don't forget the original song that is sure to be a hit on many things on the Internet, that is catchy, TikTok like, and somehow works into the ridiculous story And if the trend of Mario is anything, will be a number one hit.

The Acting.

-Most of the linked crew are first appearances and they did well, but the movie is more about the four non top billed groups and their ability to make characters -Ashley Park is the ringleader to an extent, a wise, powerful, and charismatic lead who had a bit of range and helps keep the group grounded but also goes into the shenanigans at times painting a fun and dynamic character -Sherry Cola is as fun as her name, an Awkwafina like charm, but with more edge and grunginess that works well with the group and gets a bit curbed at times.

-Sabrina Wu might have been my second character, especially at the end when the heart comes out. But she serves sort of the Seth Rogen style of comedy, namely in the extreme stupidity that somehow works to break the tension.

Stephanie Hsu is the one that has the Mean Girl spirit played well, that dives deep and comes out strong to balance out the girl group.

-The four of them work greatly together and I quite enjoyed how well they blended, meshed, and played with each other character qualities. Much like the Girls Trip bunch from before.

The Comedy At Times: -Joy Ride works in many elements where I was laughing at the way words were delivered and the comedic timing. It's simple, that finesse in delivery just fun, and the attitude sells so many of the jokes.

-Other slapstick moments work in the way it proceeds, a pop and lock dance style really working for me, while other awkward moments won points for the reactions.

-As the story progresses, seeing the consequences of the actions has that "Oh Snap" moment and that too kind of adds some extra humor to the moment for fans like me.

-Many I feel are going to like a lot of the banter as well. Though not always for me, there is something about the realistic gossip and smack talk that works as well. Having such a posse works to add fun, but give those characters you can attach to go on the adventure.

-I will say it also helps if you have an understanding or relevance to the culture humor as well, as this will probably further enhance your experience.

The Story: -Surprisingly, the story has a bit more kick than I got from the trailer with a few twists thrown into the mix.

-Joy Ride may be about eighty percent stupid fun and debauchery, but there is a story underlying it that drives me to stay interested.

-Even more surprising is some decent character development, and those tear jerking moments that allowed me to see more int the characters and appreciate them for who they were.

-And when it all closes out. It feels complete, leave open for more fun in a good way, and yet feels in tandem with the theme of the movie. A nice surprise for a movie like this having a little more to it.

DISLIKES

The Language -The movie shows how promising it could be with smart writing, delivery, and balance. That goes out the window quickly.

-Joy Ride is a curse fest and starts using a lot of my least favorite words quite easily leading to this reviewer not having as much fun.

-Seasoning is fine, timing Is important, but dropping into the overuse and obsession to curse did little to help me in the grand scheme of things.

The Client Being A Lame Story Element: -Much of the first third of the movie is about this big deal and trying to impress a client. Again, that goes out the window.

-Certainly hitting key moments, the whole client that the movie tries to make you think will be big, is kind of thin, a comic device with little heft and even less screen time.

-It's a shame, because that added a bit of a timeline and edge to get the events done, but again fizzles out and leads me feeling bored in the grand scheme of things.

Predictable: -The twists aren't necessarily a surprise, at least story, and much of the movie writes itself for very easy to guess things.

-An agenda based moment gets in the way of the promising development, and though not the worst, sometimes veers too much into the racial jokes that did little for me.

-What works though is the surprise of the emotion and taking those moments further than I expected to help, alongside the fact that most people are going to have fun with the comedy aspects that predictability is not that big of a hit.

-In addition, I wish we had had more variety in what trouble they got into. Sure there were different things happening in different parts of the country, but I was hoping for a little more variety.

-A video game issue? How about some type of anime or quirky little fashion issue? Or something involving animals?

-That variety might have helped this component, or at least helped the next and last dislike for me.

A Bit Too Aggressive: -The movie is not like Bridesmaids, Hangover, or even Girl's Trip in which there are some Oh wow moments, but still mostly contained.

-From the get go, this movie is very in your face, an aggressive, no hold back comedy, that the synopsis does warn you about, and I reiterate that warning.

-Joy Ride is hypersexual. That style doesn't do as much for me as others, and the crude, lewd, and often very visual style might have you turning away from the on screen antics.

-Drug use goes very far and often is very unfiltered, going far beyond a lot of the Stoner Films we have had in the past.

-Sure, it can be silly and fun, but beware of the raunchy bits and avoid this film if you don't want some of the grosser, in depth, violation of space that this movie has no problems doing.

-At times, I get why they did it. However, I think Joy Ride was overkill with ease and can't say that I personally found every moment necessary, fun, or even relevant to the full story when again there were other things to explore.

The VERDICT

Joy Ride is one of those films that is certainly one talk about given they hype and fun they built into the movie. This very R rated film has a lot of antics to enjoy with the four friends, mixing classic 2000 comedy, with Adult Swim attitude and an Asian energy that I think works in tandem very well to give you something fun. I did have fun with the film, and will say I laughed thanks to the impressive delivery and chemistry of the movie. While it is certainly extreme and potentially geared to a certain audience variety, the movie does promise a Joy Ride and you kind of get it. Surprisingly though, there is more depth to the characters than I imagined and think this is the redeeming factor of the movie for me in the beauty that lies beneath the layer of plot armor and entertainment aspect. There is caution though in how aggressive this movie is and the limitations that came with it. If you can't handle language, high sexual content, and aggressive levels to the point of overkill, then don't see this movie, because you will get more than your fill on it. This style doesn't do much for me anymore, and without the variety to balance it out, this movie quite honestly is a tad too much in pushing boundaries with everything they are trying to do. For those that love those types of movies though, get set for a laugh riot and diving into the deluge of comedic antics that they have in store for you. Balancing all that, Joy Ride is a fun film and one that if you can go as a group, would maximize the theater. However, for others, you might have a better time taking the risk with your friends at home. My scores for the film are:

Comedy: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0.

While I wasn't bored watching this movie I was not impressed. I had a few chuckles and one laugh out loud moment but this movie was just average at best. It depended too much on raunchiness for laughs. After a while the dirty talk gets a bit of annoying as you wait for some other form of humor.

The story is predictable for the most part. All four of the main characters played roles that are very familiar and not original in any way.

The movie tries to get emotional towards the end but once again its something that's been done before with the same plot points.

Overall it was an okay comedy. I would still recommend people watch it but not to go into it expecting anything new.

Usually, I'll see just about any movie but I actually walked out on this one half-way through. I just couldn't take it anymore. A lot of comedic ignorance just didn't hit the mark. The chemistry was mixed at best. Waaaaay too much reference to sex almost to a point that it looked like it was supposed to carry the movie (at least up to the time before I left). I just couldn't relate to any of the main characters on any level, or even many of the supporting characters at that. A lot of people seemed to have enjoyed this movie (barely) enough to give it average ratings so good for them. They didn't lose time out of their lives. Unfortunately, I did.

I was cackling and guffawing through this. I could predict every plot point and yet I wasn't bored at all. A by-the-numbers raunchy comedy that worked.

Hsu has been a roll. From her ATT commercials, to Mrs Maisel, to Everything EVerywhere, and now this, she's starting be a must-watch star for her comedic stuff. The other cast members I hadn't seen before but they were all pretty good.

I think one of the reasons, this worked for me was I know people like this. There are two people in my office who kinda of act like these characters, the KPOP nut and the stoner art chick.

Worth the price of admission.

Bawdy, raunchy humor generally isn't my style, but, when it's done with wit, creativity and no-holds-barred originality, it gets my attention quickly, which this filmmaking debut from writer- director Adele Lim captures from the very first line of the picture (and never lets go thereafter). This rapid-fire screwball comedy follows the exploits of four young Asian women (Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Sabrina Wu, Stephanie Hsu) on an outlandish road trip through China that steadily deteriorates but routinely places them in a host of raucously hilarious, debauchery-riddled situations. In doing so, the film steadily serves up huge laughs in a story that's accurately being billed as a release unlike anything that moviegoers have seen before. While it's true that the narrative stretches credibility a bit at times and the film has its share of predictable and sweet but sappy moments, those minor faults are vastly overshadowed by its many strengths, including its fine ensemble cast, balanced pacing, and vibrant, colorful, superbly crafted production design. Because of the nature of the humor, however, sensitive viewers may want to skip this one (though it's truly hard not to laugh, no matter how conservative one's views might be). "Joy Ride" may not have received much fanfare or pre-release publicity, but it's one of the funniest comedies to come along in quite some time, and it's handily one of the best offerings of what has thus far been an otherwise-stunningly disappointing summer movie season. Indeed, get ready to seriously laugh your ass off with this one.

Jokes fell flat and audiences laughed and didn't laugh. I couldn't believe how disappointing this movie turned out to be.

Joyride has no clue what it's identity is. The funny parts were all crammed in the trailer. I will admit I did laugh at a few parts but the rest you can't help but feel embarrassed for the actors who had to deliver these godawful lines. Some of the actors did a good job and some of them well, you'll notice how amateur the whole endeavor is.

I blame the director and the writers. It's on a very low level and unfortunately they miss the mark on so many occasions.

Wait for stream and save your money. Does anyone know how to make a good comedy anymore?

Terribly unfunny. Honestly, probably the least enjoyable film I'd seen in a long time, I don't even know what I could compare it to. The jokes were just a complete miss - not funny, far too obvious to be funny to be honest, juvenile humour, and a boring plot. At one point they tried to give the film some 'feeling', but the scene just fell terribly flat given the rest of the films vibe.

Maybe this will be a hit for some people, but definitely not my kind of film at all. Was super disappointed by the secret screening - had hoped for something better but I suppose that's the luck of the draw.

Wouldn't recommend.

I love a great rated R raunchy movie that is hilarious in its outrageousness. This movie wasn't funny and its raunchy parts were just women saying "bi:;h and cu:t over and over again. Lame. The "professional" critics gave it good ratings because they are turds who are afraid to give an Asian cast a thumbs down. Cowards who are so tied to political correctness that they will give ANY movie with an other than mostly white cast a positive review. Thanks for wasting my time and money because you are too weak to give a bad review to a minority cast. Grow some b:;ls you pus:;es! Stop bowing to your leftist masters who control you.

Overall this movie had a few funny scenes that were the only thing the movie could hang its hat on. Personally i was not able to enioy the nain characters and the story line very much. The story line seemed to try to accomplish a lot in terms of character devolopment that i felt it failed to do. It did have few funny scenes were i laughed but i found myself losing interest at times in between funny scenes. I think the movie would have been funnier without the multiple plot ideas and just focused on one goal. This movie was saved by a few funny scenes but besides that it left me wanting alot more.