With the release of No Hard Feelings, Bottoms, and now this film, Joy Ride, it feels like the raunchy sex comedies that became of staple of late 90’s/early 2000’s pop culture are making a very strong comeback in 2023. With a story that goes completely off the rails, Joy Ride is full of eccentric characters, hilarious jokes, and downright ridiculous bits that the raunch (and the fantastic grossness) to the next level. Penned by co-screenwriters Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao and directed by Adele Lim in her feature debut, this trio of creators concocted a film that is nothing but a good time.

Living in a predominately white neighborhood as children, Audrey (Ashley Park) and Lolo (Sherry Cola) become fast friends being the only Chinese kids in their community in Seattle. Though they couldn’t be more different – Audrey being an adopted kid of white parents and an overachiever who becomes a successful lawyer and Lolo being the daughter of Chinese immigrants who becomes a struggling sex-positive artist who lives in Audrey’s garage – their bond is like inseparable sisters. When Audrey gets offered to be partner of the law firm she works for if she closes a deal with a Chinese business man, she with Lolo, accompanying her as her translator, take a business trip to China to try and close the deal. But of course, this business trip doesn’t go according to plan at all. Meeting up with Lolo’s awkward cousin, Deadeye (Sabrina Wu) and Audrey’s old college roommate, Kat (Stephanie Hsu) who’s now a successful actress with a wild past, the four get themselves into shenanigans galore trying to help Audrey close this business deal. There are drugs, hitchhiking, one-night-stands with basketball players, a devil tattoo in an unmentionable place, and even a K-Pop music video all stuffed into their unforgettably wild trip.

This film is downright hilarious – plain and simple. While a lot of comedies nowadays seem to try too hard and most of their jokes don’t always land, Joy Ride, luckily doesn’t suffer this unfortunate fate. It pulls no punches and takes the most ridiculous ideas and just rolls with them. Watching it, there are a few moments where all you can think is: How on earth did they come up with this? And what makes it even better is that each character is funny in their own unique ways and each actor does a brilliant job in their comedic performances. Park, Cola, Wu, and Hsu all make the challenge of giving well-timed, convincing, and good comedic roles look easy.

 And all jokes aside, Joy Ride, while extremely funny will surprise you with the giant heart that is beating in the center of this film. Through the debauchery and the drug-induced shenanigans, the real core of Joy is the friendships and bonds that are created and strengthened between the four women. When it turns out that Audrey is not at all who she thought she was, the other three stop at nothing to help her find out who she is. And by the end, all four seem to having a type of coming-of-age change to love and accept who they really are, not who they pretend to be or who other people want them to be. The whole thing is surprisingly emotional and may force a single tear to roll down the side of your aching cheeks.

Joy Ride is a pure cinematic pleasure. It’s got a very smart, funny, and well-rounded script and an excellently casted group of actresses that really give it their all. Whether you enjoy it alone or die laughing surrounded by your best friends, you can’t go wrong with this movie.

Joy Ride is now available on Blu Ray courtesy of Lionsgate.

Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Edition

Home Video Distributor: Lionsgate
Available on Blu-ray - September 12, 2023
Screen Formats: 2.39:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos; English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1; French: Dolby Digital 5.1; Audio descriptive
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; two-disc set; DVD
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

When Audrey’s (Ashley Park) business trip to Asia goes sideways, she enlists the aid of Lolo (Sherry Cola), her irreverent, childhood best friend who also happens to be a hot mess; Kat (Stephanie Hsu), her college friend turned Chinese soap star; and Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), Lolo’s eccentric cousin. Their no-holds-barred, epic experience becomes a journey of bonding, friendship, belonging, and wild debauchery that reveals the universal truth of what it means to know and love who you are.

Video

Presented in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio, the 1080p transfer courtesy of Lionsgate gives a sharp and consistent look throughout the picture. The vivid and potent color palette is shown off greatly and there’s no issues with the detail and definition of the picture.

Audio

This release offers an English Dolby Atmos track that gives the movie a nice boost in audio, especially during sequences utilizing pop and hip/hop songs. All the dialogue, ambient sounds, and music/score are clear and crisp. Overall, a great audio mix for everything.

Supplements:

There’s no commentary accompanying this release, but there is quite a bit of featurettes that include, cast and crew interviews and behind-the-scenes footage that show just how this movie came about and how much fun it was to make. All are a pleasure to watch.

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

• A Grand Adventure: Making Joy Ride;
• Adele Lim, Director: A Seten Call to Hollywood
• A Place of Joy: “R” is For Representation
• Never Too Much: A comedic Lovefest
• WAP Sing-Along
• WAP Solo Cast Choreography
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 95 mins
Director: Adele Lim
Writer: Cherry Chevapravatdumrong; Teresa Hsiao; Adele Lim
Cast: Ashley Park; Sherry Cola; Stephanie Hsu
Genre: Comedy
Tagline: Four Fiends. One Trip. No Luck.
Memorable Movie Quote: "My legal name is Vanessa. Call me Deadeye."
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Official Site:
Release Date: July 7, 2023
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: The hilarious and unapologetically explicit story of identity and self-discovery centers on four unlikely friends who embark on a once-in-a-lifetime international adventure.