Asian representation in movies has grown positively over the last couple of years.
Movies such as Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) have helped films written, directed and portrayed by Asians become more mainstream.
Joy Ride is another movie that showcases talented Asians in acting, writing and directing roles. It follows four charismatic Asian-American friends who learn many life lessons about self-love, self-acceptance, and coping with being different in modern society.
When Audrey (Ashley Park) goes on a business trip, she finds herself out of her depth because despite being Chinese, she has no knowledge or understanding of Chinese culture.
Along with her friends Lolo (Sherry Cola), Kat (Stephanie Hsu) and Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), she goes on her journey to find her birth mother, resulting in hilarious and chaotic scenarios that act as the catalyst for growth among the women.
The film is very explicit and unapologetically so. It is packed with shock humour that is balanced perfectly with many heartfelt and sincere moments.
Joy Ride also has one of the funniest opening scenes, that perfectly preludes the clever and witty one-liners to follow.
The actresses must be commended for exceptional comedic timing as well as their amazing on-screen chemistry.
The various locations where the film was shot portray Chinese and Korean culture quite well, while also showing how well Asians have adopted western cultures without losing themselves.
Joy Ride is perfect if you’re looking for a hysterical ladies road trip comedy, regardless of if you relate to the characters culturally or not.
Joy Ride is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
