JOY RIDE – This R-Rated Comedy is One of 2023’s Unexpected Surprises!

JOY RIDE is directed by Adele Lim; it’s her feature film directorial debut. The movie stars Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, Sabrina Wu, Ronny Chieng, Meredith Hagner, David Denman, Annie Mumolo, Timothy Simons, and Daniel Dae Kim.

Audrey is an adopted girl living in Seattle, now working for a law firm. Her best friend is her polar opposite, the impulsive and sex-positive Lolo. When Audrey must go overseas to seal a deal for her law firm, they join up with other friends to make it the ideal vacation getaway, while also allowing Audrey to research her biological parents. But it isn’t long before everything that can go wrong on the trip somehow does.

It seems like R-rated comedies as getting a revival these days, with plenty of them coming out on a regular basis. It seems like they’re a dime a dozen these days and hit and miss, but I’m happy to report that JOY RIDE falls into the “hit” category thanks to its razor-sharp script, great performances, and a premise that beautifully combines comedy with a true heart. Don’t write this one off!

The writing, pacing, and the tone of the film all come together nicely. It’s that rare raunchy R-rated comedy that actually has a heart beneath the hard-R jokes that are flung at the audience at an alarming rate. The script was penned by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, both of whom are probably best known for their contributions to FAMILY GUY. I went into JOY RIDE expecting endless hit and miss jokes that didn’t always land. Much to my delight and surprise, nearly all of them did, and there’s genuine emotion on display here throughout. It’s laugh-out-loud hilarious, but never mindless.

Fortunately, the cast of JOY RIDE is up for the task at hand. Leads Park and Cola are fantastic as two polar opposites who have been friends since childhood, making for the perfect foils. The supporting cast is equally solid, including Stephanie Hsu as an actress who has ties to the twosome, and a host of others who are all ideally suited to their roles. Chemistry between a film’s characters and the actors portraying them is a must in a comedic film, as it is in any other genre. JOY RIDE doesn’t disappoint.

And despite its heart, there’s nowhere JOY RIDE doesn’t go. From childhood playground fights to drunken antics in a bar on a business trip, from sexual escapades with professional basketball players to unsavory tattoos on private body parts, this was a movie that hit me off guard constantly with its nonstop laughs. And yet, it never loses sight of the humanity of its characters, which is quite the rarity.

JOY RIDE is one of 2023’s unexpected surprises, thanks to its great cast, sharp writing, and great mix of comedic and dramatic elements. If you want to laugh and you’re not easily offended (the film earns its R rating), you’ve found your film. Highly recommended.