4.9.23
Joyride aims to be a hilarious buddy comedy with road trip elements, but unfortunately, the humour falls flat in too many scenes. This film pairs uptight Audrey (Ashley Park) with her relatively wild best friend (Sherry Cola) for an unpredictable adventure across China, showcasing some of the country’s natural beauty and unique culture. While both actresses give likeable performances, much of the gross-out slapstick and attempts to exploit Asian stereotypes come off as derivative and juvenile.
A few raunchy gags land, but overall the comedy lacks sophistication. Where Joyride succeeds is in its heartwarming central story about Audrey rediscovering her Chinese identity and heritage. As she journeys across her ancestral homeland, an uplifting tale of cross-cultural connection and self-discovery is the central part of the film that I quite enjoyed.
Too often the story gets bogged down in silly antics and superficial humour. Stephanie Hsu has some funny moments, although it’s an awkward, over-sexualised performance, lacking the earnestness of her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once which was so impressive. The message about embracing your roots and openness to new friendships deserved better than much of the clumsy comedy on display, and the less said about Sabrina Wu trying to channel Alan from The Hangover films, the better.
In the end, Joyride is well-intentioned but all over the place. For all its missed jokes, I appreciated the poignant exploration of cultural identity, although Return to Seoul did it ten times better, and I’m still looking forward to catching the rave-reviewed Past Lives sometime this month.