Joy Ride

With so much to say and a supremely talented cast embodying lovable and multi-dimensional characters, a sequel is a no-brainer. “Joy Ride” is easily the golden standard for progressive, raunchy comedy and the need for more diverse stories being told on screen.

Joy Ride is as fantastically filthy as they come, providing enough glorious gags about gagging to carry audiences through the cold, hard winter to come.

Joy Ride could easily have felt like a series of increasingly outrageous skits but, thanks to the chemistry between its leads and the tonal confidence of first time director Adele Lim, it ultimately lands as a raucously authentic comedy.

The deft screenplay establishes the giddy energy coursing through Joy Ride, but it’s the performances from Ashley Park (Emily in Paris), Sherry Cola (Shortcomings), Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and Sabrina Wu that maintain the film’s anarchic pulse.

The on-screen talents, savvy and fine company all, have been ready for something like this far longer than the opportunity has been available.

Ultimately, Joy Ride is an uneasy melding of “Girls Trip” and “Return to Seoul”; it’s two pieces that work well by themselves but clash when forced to collaborate.

It isn’t until the last half hour that the film finally switches tones from aggressively and charmlessly filthy to thoughtful.

Joy Ride is hilarious; it is very adulterated in some ways, but a heartwarming undertone made the film pull hard on the heartstrings while delivering a wildly comedic ride just like the title entails. The journey of discovery that we watch the main character go on is one where her entire essence is challenged multiple times and the friends she has made begin to show her how she has failed to recognize some internal failings that have held her back from being her authentic self. I recommend it for fans of Bridesmaids, The Joy Luck Club, and The Hangover Series.

On one hand, Joy Ride proves that women are no less capable than men regarding adult gross-out humour and comedic elements, on the other hand, the movie's theme, which blends various social elements like friendship, culture and genders, is subdued by an unrealistic and one-sided script, preventing it from becoming a genuinely informative film.

This was an odd little movie. It had the usual themes; friendship, loyalty, adventure, and perseverance. The sexual references were odd. The movie wasn't really consistent in its presentation; the themes weren't really developed. This made it a bit trite (run-of-the-mill). So, our recommendation is: "watch if you want some vulgar fluff."

It's a one-note movie and that one note gets extremely annoying long before the movie ends.

bad [ bad ] adjective, worse, worst;(Slang) bad·der, bad·dest for 36. not good in any manner or degree.