There have been plenty of family-friendly options in theaters this summer, and that’s great-- especially for people trying to keep the kids occupied while school’s out. But sometimes you just need a raunchy comedy, and Joy Ride is aiming to help fill that void on the big screen. Starring up-and-coming actor Ashley Park and directed by Adele Lim (screenwriter for Crazy Rich Asians and Raya and the Last Dragon), Joy Ride was released July 7, and the critics all seem to agree that the leading quartet brings a hilarious mix of spicy humor and emotional stakes to the movie.
Along with Ashley Park, Joy Ride stars Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu as the group of friends who journey to China in search of Audrey’s (Park) birth parents, certainly engaging in scenarios both emotional and filthy over the course of its 95 minutes. Let’s see what people are saying, starting with Monica Castillo of RogerEbert.com. The critic rates it 2.5 out of 4 stars, comparing it to Girls Trip in terms of outrageous behavior, and saying the audience's lasting impression will depend on their stomach for this brand of bawdy humor:
While not everything in Joy Ride comes together smoothly, Lim’s movie is plenty of messy fun. It's mostly lighthearted but occasionally profound in what it says about identity and friendships. The stars of the show embrace the outrageous high jinks, enjoying the free pass to behave badly and push the envelope of raunch comedy. For all its twists and tangents, Joy Ride remains unapologetically true to itself and the central friendship that starts us all on our merry misadventure.
Alan Ng of Film Threat rates it 8 out of 10, calling Joy Ride one of the best comedies to come out this year, with heart-filled stories, characters with depth and enough raunchiness to really earn its R rating. The critic continues:
The source of the ‘raunchiness’ comes in the sex-obsessed characters of Lolo and Kat. Lolo says whatever ‘filth’ comes to mind, while the ‘virginal’ Kat, who is not a virgin, is the perfect counterpoint. In fact, the character is a sex-starved celebrity who is really starving. The raunchiness works because Adele Lim paces the humor perfectly in both timing and frequency. The film is packed with jokes but never feels overwhelming. It’s also filled with jokes that work and are appropriate for the character(s) involved.
Justin Chang of NPR compares Joy Ride to Bridesmaids and The Hangover, saying that Adele Lim proves Asian American women and non-binary characters can also bring it in terms of gleefully gross comedy. Chang writes:
If it doesn't all work, the hit-to-miss ratio is still impressively high. Joy Ride may be reworking a formula, but it does so with disarming energy and verve, plus a level of savvy about Asian culture that we still rarely see in Hollywood movies. Director Lim can stage a gross-out moment or a frisky montage as well as anyone. But she also gives the comedy a subversive edge, whether she's pushing back on lazy assumptions about Asian masculinity or — in one queasily funny scene — making clear just how racist Asians can be toward other Asians.
Devan Coggan of EW grades the movie a B, also drawing likenesses between it and female-driven comedies that came before it. Joy Ride doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it’s well worth the watch, according to the critic, who continues:
Gross gags and chaotic debauchery aren't exactly new, and Joy Ride shares plenty of DNA with other female-led comedies like 2011's Bridesmaids and 2017's Girls Trip. Joy Ride is a welcome addition to the genre, if not a particularly subversive one: Lim raises some thoughtful questions about Asian-American identity and the struggle to belong, but any deeper ideas are overshadowed by nudity and absurdist jokes. Also, not every gag works. (Please, a moratorium on scenes where someone accidentally does cocaine!)
Brian Truitt of USA TODAY rates it 3.5 out of 4 stars, remarking that the film is bursting with heart as it destroys stereotypes in a smartly paced and proudly explicit directorial debut for Adele Lim. Truitt writes:
Like last year’s Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once and this year’s Past Lives and Return to Seoul – albeit with more threesomes, tattooed genitalia and slap fights – Joy Ride is a superbly crafted film that centers on and celebrates Asian people and culture yet also is wholly relatable on a wider scale. Everybody’s had an Audrey, Lolo, Kat and/or Deadeye come into their lives, perhaps even akin to the four forces of nature here. And with this group of hilarious stars and thoughtful filmmakers, the hard-R comedy couldn’t be in better hands.
The critics seem to be in agreement that Joy Ride is a ride worth taking, as the movie has garnered a 91 percent Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes from more than 100 reviews. The audience score was a similarly favorable 88 percent, but that number will likely change as more people weigh in. Joy Ride is in theaters as of July 7, and be sure to see what other movies are hitting the big screen soon with our 2023 Movie Release Calendar.
