The Movie: Joy Ride
The Director: Adele Lim
The Cast: Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, Sabrina Wu, Ronny Chieng, Meredith Hagner, David Denman, Annie Mumolo, Timothy Simons, Desmond Chiam, Baron Davis, Lori Tan Chinn, Alexander Hodge, Chris Pang
The Story: Follows four Chinese-American friends as they bond and discover the truth of what it means to know and love who you are, while they travel through China in search of one of their birth mothers.
The Review:
Chaos. This movie is one hour and 35 minutes of pure, unadulterated chaos and I mean that in the best way possible. It's brash, it's raunchy, it's hilarious, it's provocative, it's extremely smart, and it's an emotionally impactful movie. Adele Lim, who is most known as a writer and producer for films like Crazy Rich Asians and Raya and the Last Dragon, makes a big splash with this movie as a feature film director and I feel like it's the type of movie that will leave a long lasting impression on anyone who watching it.
Remember when The Hangover first came out and pretty much changed the direction of comedy movies forever? I feel like Joy Ride has the ability to have the same sort of impact for a lot of different reasons. It would be way too easy to peg this movie as a female centered version of The Hangover, I mean there's an unmistakeable influence from one to the other although this movie is so original and so aware of what it is trying to accomplish, it absolutely stands on its own and it dares you to look at a lot of things in completely different ways.
Right from the start, Lim and company let you know what you're in for with a quick jab to the face of racism (literally and metaphorically) and a foundation to the story that dives head first into what the Asian American experience has been and continues to be like for women in this country. While the story is brash and in your face in that regard, it will really depend on the viewer and their own personal experience that will determine how well some of it is received. I thought it was all pretty fantastic and even empowering in a way that helped me to understand some of that experience while also being thoroughly entertained.
Is this a perfect movie? Of course not, the over the top nature of the comedy will automatically be divisive and, from a film making perspective, it can be messy at times although I felt like that just added to the intended chaos so it's kind of hard to really see any of it as a negative. There is so much to like about this movie from that comedic perspective and then, just when you think that's all this movie is, here comes the big emotional moment and a payoff that had me in tears.
There's a plot twist that leads to this moment that works so well on multiple layers, it really made me think about some of my own perceptions and ignorant blind spots so yeah. Way to bring it home in an authentically meaningful and thought provoking way. I honestly didn't expect this movie to take me there, but the story is just so good and has so much going on, I doubt if I'm anywhere near smart enough or qualified enough to want to try and really dive into it all.
Just realized I haven't even mentioned the cast yet within all of these thoughts and I think that's okay. Each of the four women, Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, and Sabrina Wu (along with a great supporting cast), bring an individuality to their characters that comes across as very genuine which I think helps to sell the more over the top, sex and drug fueled moments of chaos. If there is such a thing as joyful chaos, I believe Adele Lim and company have either found it or just created it themselves and put all of it into this wild rollercoaster ride of a movie.
The Verdict:
Joy Ride is a showcase and a statement for Asian American women and it's also one of the funniest movies you will watch this year. It also made me cry. Go see this movie. It's crazy fun and you might even learn something about yourself in the process.
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