Follows four Asian-American friends as they bond and discover the truth of what it means to know and love who you are, while they travel through Asia in search of one of their birth mothers.
Chuck says:
There are times during Adele Lim’s “Joy Ride” when it’s obvious all involved are trying a bit too hard to being included in the Gross Out Hall of Fame. Thankfully, there’s enough genuine humor and heart to offset the blatant crudity and ribald moments that are, at best, hit-and-miss. The fact that its cast is so invested in bringing the nasty – but more importantly, committed performances – is what elevates the movie just enough to make it worthwhile…that is, if you can handle the scatological jokes sprinkled throughout.
As the only two Chinese children in their neighborhood, Audrey (Ashley Park) and Lolo (Sherry Cola) became quick friends when little girls and remain so for over 20 years. However, as they approach their 30’s, they’re at distinctly different points in their lives. Audrey has put in long hours at the law firm she’s at and is due for a promotion. Meanwhile, Lolo still works at her parents’ restaurant, trying to make it big in the art world, though her sex-centric sculptures are a hard sell. With a chance at being made a partner on the line, if she can close a deal in Bejing, Audrey askes Lolo to come along with her as a translator, as her friend understands the culture far more than she does. Unbeknownst to Audrey, Lolo askes her socially challenged cousin Deadeye (Sabrina Wu) to accompany them; what Lolo doesn’t know is they will be meeting up with Kat (Stephanie Hsu), Audrey’s best friend from college, who is now a Chinese movie star.
The adventure these four embark on exceeds their expectations and defies all logic. Before all is said and done, they travel from China to Korea, masquerade as a K-Pop band, injure an entire basketball team with their combined sexual escapades, deal with a social media scandal, search for Audrey’s birth mother and speak some hard truths to one another. Much of the humor generated by their misfortunes involves bodily functions, objects being placed in places they shouldn’t and some very unfortunately situated tattoos.
The quartet proves to be an effective comedic combination, the four characters each having opposing characteristics that generate some genuinely antagonistic humor. Audrey’s naivete requires Park to be the straight woman throughout, her sharp timing and shocked expressions a perfect complement to Lolo’s in-your-face crudity, which Cola tackles with great relish. Deadeye’s lack of confidence allows Wu to be the film’s secret weapon as her character comes out of her shell, while Kat’s arrogance sets her up to be brought low, a fate Hsu mines for big laughs.
Beneath the lowest-common-denominator humor is an examination of existential angst. Each of the four principals are forced to come to terms with who they truly are, when the artifice they’ve each adopted is stripped from each of them. Aubrey, who was adopted by an American couple, is perhaps the most confused as she’s unsure as to which culture she should embrace, a problem her trip complicates all the more. That we actually care about this quartet finding a degree of happiness is a tribute to the balancing act Lim and her game cast pull off, delivering cringe-inducing laughs and heart-tugging moments with equal skill.
3 Stars
