David Farnor | On 16, Mar 2024

Director: Adele Lim
Cast: Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephenie Hsu
Certificate: 15

“You wanna be best friends?” That was Audrey (Ashley Park) to Lolo (Sherry Cola) aged 5, when they were introduced to each other by their families. The reason? They were the only Asian-American children in their town. Fast forward two or three decades and the duo are still best friends, although they couldn’t be further apart – personality wise, that is. Geographically, Lolo is crashing in Audrey’s garage.

As an adult, Audrey is a high-flying lawyer who has firmly embraced her American identity, having been adopted from China by a white US couple as a child. Lolo is an experimental artist who is extremely sex-positive – which is another way of saying her work is so graphic and confrontational that nobody will buy it. When Audrey is asked to travel to Beijing and close a deal that will take her career to the next level, Lolo is quick to volunteer as her translator – and hopes it might be an opportunity for Audrey to reconnect with her biological roots. The fact that they also need to reconnect as friends is just a very convenient coincidence.

And the so the stage is set for an awkward road trip – and that’s before Lolo has brought along her eccentric cousin, Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), who is hoping to meet up with from BTS superfans from socials, and Audrey’s has met up with college mate, Kat (Stephanie Hsu), who is now a famous actor with a wholesome boyfriend and a heavily downplayed past.

The ensuing conflict between each member of the party is laugh-out-loud funny. They either know each other well enough to be able to say just the right thing to upend each other’s lives or don’t know each other well enough to work out how to get out of each situation. The scenarios that unfold recall The Hangover in their gross-out, inappropriate and wildly unpredictable nature, with each unlikely set-up rapidly escalating with the bitty quality of a sketch show.

But Joy Ride succeeds because it’s surprisingly much more than that formula. The script frequently makes sharp comments and observations about friendship and about growing old but also about finding, understanding and respecting oneself – all of which is framed through the lens of culture clashes and race. By the time we’re in a family home for dinner, the comedy has elevated its absurd concept into a deceptively thoughtful exploration of identity and belonging.

Needless to say, none of this would work if the cast weren’t exceptional, and they all being their A game to the table, with Ashley Park and Sherry Cola boating a brilliantly lived-in chemistry. The impeccable Stephanie Hsu – who repeatedly wowed in Everything Everywhere All at Once and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel – almost steals the whole show with her hilarious screen presence and manic energy. But the cast are as generous as they are funny: this is an ensemble piece through and through, and Joy Ride is all the better for making sure that everyone feel like they get time behind the steering wheel.

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