--- title: "Joy Ride" year: 2023 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/joy-ride" fi1m_id: "joy-ride" imdb_id: "tt15268244" tmdb_id: 864168 wikidata_id: "Q108940271" fi1m_score: 70 critics_score: 73 critics_reviews: 16 published: "2026-09-10" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:05.746482+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Joy Ride (2023) Directed by Adele Lim · 1h 34m · MPA R · Comedy ## Identity Joy Ride - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/joy-ride - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** joy-ride - **IMDb ID:** tt15268244 - **TMDB ID:** 864168 - **Wikidata ID:** Q108940271 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15268244/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/864168, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q108940271 **Fi1m score: 70** · Critics 73 from 16 reviews *In a sentence:* An hour of extremely rude women, then twenty minutes of speeches to assure you they meant well > Adele Lim’s first film is a rude, fast, well-cast road comedy that earns its biggest laughs in a train carriage and loses its nerve in the last twenty minutes. Come for Sherry Cola and Sabrina Wu; forgive the speeches. ## Synopsis Four friends, one trip, no luck, says the poster, and that is the shape of it. Audrey (Ashley Park), her friend Lolo (Sherry Cola), Deadeye (Sabrina Wu) and Kat (Stephanie Hsu) travel across China together, and the trip goes wrong in most of the ways a trip can. Along the road there are drugs, other people’s beds, a great deal of nudity and a series of conversations about which of them belongs where and to whom. Ronny Chieng plays Chao, a man the four of them need on their side. Lori Tan Chinn plays Nai Nai Chen, who takes one look at the visitors and says exactly what she thinks of them. It runs 94 minutes and carries a 15 certificate. ## Review Adele Lim, who co-wrote *Crazy Rich Asians* (2018), directs for the first time and borrows the shape of *The Hangover* and [*Bridesmaids*](https://film.one/film/bridesmaids) to do it: four friends, one trip, a bag of drugs, a deadline, a falling-out and a making-up. The difference is that the four are Asian American women and the trip is to China, where the question of who belongs where turns out to be the plot. *Joy Ride* is two films in one. The filthy one is the best thing here. The earnest one is fine, and it keeps switching the filthy one off. The cast is the reason to go. Ashley Park plays Audrey as a woman who has spent her life being the acceptable one, and she lets the effort of it show in her jaw. Sherry Cola’s Lolo is loud, broke and loyal, and the script gives the two of them a friendship with real grievances in it rather than a montage. Stephanie Hsu, as Kat, runs two faces at once, a public one and a private one, and the film gets a lot of mileage from the moments the wrong face slips out. Sabrina Wu, as Deadeye, gets the biggest laughs from the fewest words; a flat stare and a remark about K-pop do more than most of the shouting. Ronny Chieng plays Chao with a smile that never quite decides whether it is friendly. Then there is the train. Somebody’s drugs have ended up in the luggage, an inspection is coming, and the four of them have a few minutes to decide where the drugs go. We laughed until it hurt, then looked at each other and laughed again, mostly at ourselves. Nena Erb cuts the set pieces in short hard bursts, so no joke sits long enough to be inspected, and the speed is the film’s chief virtue: 94 minutes and none of them idle. Paul Yee shoots it bright and flat, the way studio comedies are shot so that the faces can be read, and gives the Chinese cities more colour than the American suburb. Michael N. Wong’s interiors do the shorthand a comedy needs; you know within a second of a new room who lives there and how much money they have, from a business hotel to the flat of Nai Nai Chen (Lori Tan Chinn), who takes one look at the four visitors and says exactly what she thinks. The trouble is the script. Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, who wrote it from a story they worked out with Lim, know the formula and follow it to the letter: the group splits at the two-thirds mark over something said in anger, and the last act is reconciliation, speeches and hugs. Every time a joke lands hard, the film pauses to tell us what the friendship means, as if worried we had missed it. The sharpest material, Audrey’s unease about where she belongs and who she is allowed to be, gets a handful of good lines and then an embrace. Nathan Matthew David’s score turns up mostly for the hugs, strings under the apologies, and the pop soundtrack does the rest. By the last twenty minutes we were being asked to cry and found we were not inclined to. The film had spent an hour earning our laughter and seemed to assume the tears would follow on the same ticket. They did not, and we were a little cross about it, because Park is more than capable of the quiet scenes and the script gives her one and a half. *Bridesmaids* (2011) worked because the gross-out came out of Kristen Wiig’s misery; the jokes and the story were the same thing. Here they are bolted together and take turns. *The Hangover* (2009) never wanted to mean anything and was the leaner for it. *Joy Ride* wants both and manages one, which is more than most comedies in this shape manage. See it with friends who are not easily embarrassed, and at home, where you can go back to the train carriage and forward through the speeches. It carries a 15 certificate and uses it. Annie Mumolo, who plays Mary Sullivan, co-wrote *Bridesmaids*, and will not have needed the plot explained to her. *Fi1m score 70, published 10 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics like Joy Ride, and they like it for the same things. The praise clusters on the four leads, whose chemistry is credited with holding the film together between its set pieces, and on Adele Lim’s confidence in her first feature as director. Nearly every review notes that the raunch is paired with something about Asian-American identity and belonging, and most think the pairing works. The reservations are consistent too: the story is thin, and the final act turns sentimental in a way several reviewers find shoehorned. The spread is narrow at the top and wider below. Vulture argues the film never gets as uncomfortable as it means to. Film Stories finds the emotional core moving but the comedy repetitive. Sight and Sound calls it overstuffed and hollow. The Telegraph is the outlier, dismissing it as a stale girls-on-tour formula transported to China. ## Straight answers **Is Joy Ride worth watching?** *Joy Ride* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys a fast, filthy road comedy and can forgive a soft ending, and we scored it 70. Sherry Cola and Sabrina Wu get the biggest laughs, and a set piece on a train is the best thing in it. The last twenty minutes turn to speeches and hugs, and we were not moved by them. **How long is Joy Ride, and what is it rated?** *Joy Ride* runs 1h 34m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy film. **Where can I watch Joy Ride in the US?** *Joy Ride* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Joy Ride, and is it suitable for children?** *Joy Ride* carries a 15 certificate and uses it: there are drugs, other people's beds, a great deal of nudity and an hour of extremely rude talk, though nothing violent or frightening. It is not for children, and easily embarrassed teenagers may find it hard going. Watch it with friends who do not mind blushing. **How does Joy Ride compare to Bridesmaids?** *Joy Ride* borrows its shape from [*Bridesmaids*](https://film.one/film/bridesmaids) but is the looser of the two, because its jokes and its story take turns rather than growing out of each other as they do around Kristen Wiig's misery. The earlier film is the better and warmer one, though it runs longer than it needs to. *Joy Ride* is faster and ruder, and its cast is the reason to go. **What should I watch after Joy Ride?** After *Joy Ride*, try [*Bridesmaids*](https://film.one/film/bridesmaids) (2011, Fi1m 82): The model, with the same writer’s fingerprints and jokes that grow out of the misery. Then [*The Farewell*](https://film.one/film/the-farewell) (2019, Fi1m 84): The quiet version of the family-in-China story; the ache without the drugs; and [*Return to Seoul*](https://film.one/film/return-to-seoul) (2022, Fi1m 83): A French adoptee hunts her birth parents in Korea; no jokes, twice the sting. ### Reviews we read (25) - **Empire**, Iana Murray (85/100, inferred): A worthy successor to Bridesmaids-style gross-out comedies that also thoughtfully deconstructs Asian identity. The audacious directorial debut balances raunch with heartfelt exploration. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/joy-ride/) - **Variety**, Peter Debruge (Critics Pick): The critic praises the raunchy Asian American comedy as an overdue, outrageous buddy movie that delivers hall-of-fame comedy set pieces. The film is celebrated for giving its cast a chance to cut loose but noted for lacking a particularly strong storyline. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/joy-ride-review-2-1235558297/) - **The AV Club**, Leigh Monson (B+): The critic finds it a hilariously raunchy road trip that stands on its own merits while adding pathos to an identity story, welcoming it as a strong studio-backed ensemble comedy. She praises the daring comedic ensemble and the balance of laughs with deeper themes of heritage. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/joy-ride-movie-review-1850562363) - **Little White Lies**, Saskia Lloyd Gaiger (3/4/3): It delivers hands-over-eyes, wretched hilarity in a raunchy, clusterfuck road trip that excels at squirm-inducing microaggressions and realistic friend dynamics among the Asian-American leads. The critic praises the buddy-boner humour but complains about shoe-horned sentimentality and sappy self-discovery beats. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/joy-ride) - **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the exuberantly rude comedy gives its stars the raunch-pad they deserve, turning predictable beats into spiky cultural distinctions. It balances raunchy humor with warmth and emotional vibrancy from the cast. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-07-06/joy-ride-review-stephanie-hsu-adele-lim) - **Total Film**, Kate Stables (80/100, inferred): An unapologetically bold, brash raunchfest that proves marginalised groups can be as wild and gross as traditional bro comedies while digging into identity issues. Elevated by strong performances. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/joy-ride-2023-review/) - **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (75/100, inferred): An enjoyably jolting ride with more than just raunch, deftly exploring internalised racism and other themes alongside the gross-out humour. The cast is sensitively performed. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/joy-ride-movie-review-adele-lim-ashley-park-stephanie-hsu-b1098250.html) - **The Guardian** (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a slickly likable and brash Asian-American comedy about four women on a trip to China coming to terms with their roots and friendship. It delivers mostly through energetic setpieces and outrageous gags while managing the sentimentality reasonably well. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jul/06/joy-ride-review-slickly-likable-asian-american-comedy-dwells-on-family-and-identity) - **The Independent** (3/4): A cheerfully gross-out comedy that soars thanks to a terrific cast delivering expert comic chops and emotional depth. Explores identity and racism with raunch that mostly lands. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-bridesmaids-kpop-beijing-chinese-b2370942.html) - **The New York Times**, Elisabeth Vincentelli (75/100, inferred): The critic calls it a terrific comedy that processes familiar raunch-com ingredients into a sustained barrage of jokes. It is really funny overall, though it leans into earnest sentimentality toward the end. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/06/movies/joy-ride-review.html) - **Vulture** (50/100, inferred): The critic says the film is ready for raunchy jokes but never leans into truly discomfiting territory, resulting in something that feels less bold than intended despite a game cast. She singles out the sappy final act and the reluctance to fully embrace anarchy as the main shortcomings. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-joy-ride-never-really-cuts-loose.html) - **The Telegraph** (30/100, inferred): The critic sees the film as a stale, broad take on the bawdy girls-on-tour comedy formula transported to China, with improbable plot shortcuts and performances that feel like a hangover from The Hangover. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/joy-ride-review-ashley-park/) - **IndieWire**, Marisa Mirabal: The critic praises the raunchy, hilarious feature debut as groundbreaking and bold, steering a new direction for Asian American-led comedy with a strong ensemble. She highlights the mix of outrageous humor and cultural specificity in the road-trip antics. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/joy-ride-review-adele-lim-1234820085/) - **Screen Daily**: Adele Lim’s raucous feature debut combines frank humour with heartfelt belonging themes as four Asian-American women embark on a no-holds-barred trip across China. The critic highlights the leads’ chemistry and the director’s tonal confidence, which prevent it from feeling like mere outrageous skits. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/joy-ride-review/5184169.article) - **Sight and Sound**: The film is an overstuffed road-movie romp that piles on high-jinks and debauchery at the expense of coherent storytelling or subversion. The critic notes its ambition around diasporic and racial identity themes but finds the emotional beats and set pieces ultimately hollow and by-the-numbers. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/joy-ride-an-overstuffed-road-movie-romp) - **Slant Magazine**: The critic calls it a raunchy heartwarmer that wins on representation without forgetting it's a comedy first, fusing outrageous sequences with clever cultural observations. She notes the uneven tone but praises the confident cultural specificity and memorable comic moments. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/joy-ride-review-adele-lim/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Lovia Gyarkye: The critic calls it a raunchy and propulsive directorial debut full of bawdy humor and strong performances that balance irreverent jokes with poignance and heart. She singles out the four leads' chemistry and the energetic direction for maintaining the film's anarchic energy while exploring Asian-diaspora themes. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/joy-ride-review-1235355796/) - **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★☆☆): The critic notes that between the outré gags there is tenderness, with razor-sharp one-liners about identity and a lovely mid-movie sex scene, though the film is often middling when pushing comic boundaries. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/joy-ride-film-review-ashley-park-p866nczhc) - **/Film**, Rafael Motamayor (9/10): The critic calls it a raucous, exhilarating girl's trip movie with a killer cast, blending female friendship, raunchy humor, and cultural identity exploration effectively. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1232286/joy-ride-review-a-raucous-exhilarating-girls-trip-movie-with-a-killer-cast-sxsw-2023/) - **Collider**, Therese Lacson (B+): The critic finds the film a delightful and irreverent girls' trip comedy destined to join ranks with The Hangover and Bridesmaids. She singles out the raunchy humor, crude sex scenes, and iconic comedic set pieces for praise while noting it also has emotional depth. [Read](https://collider.com/joy-ride-movie-review/) - **The Playlist**, Matthew Monagle (B+): The critic praises it as an instant crowd-pleaser with raunchy humor, visual comedy, and thoughtful handling of identity themes, highlighting the cast and direction. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/joy-ride-review-adele-lims-raunchy-comedy-is-an-instant-crowd-pleaser-sxsw-20230318/) - **Film Stories**, Lauren Miles (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the emotional core and character bonds lovely and hard-hitting, but feels the raunchy comedy falls flat, becomes repetitive, and relies on shock value. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/joy-ride-review-four-friends-lots-of-raunchy-comedy/) - **Deadline**, Valerie Complex: The critic praises the film's blend of raunchy comedy and introspective drama about identity and belonging, highlighting the strong script, direction, and cast. They single out the balance between fun and serious moments, though noting some rushed ending and more depth on the mother's story could have helped. [Read](https://deadline.com/2023/03/joy-ride-review-stephanie-hsu-adele-lim-ashley-park-sxsw-1235301681/) - **Paste**, Aurora Amidon (7.9): The critic calls the film a fearless, scandalous and joyous raunchy comedy that delivers outrageous full-frontal nudity, hard drug use, and potty humor. She praises the strong comedic ensemble, especially Ashley Park's mix of clumsy humor and heartfelt emotion about connecting to one's roots. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/sxsw/joy-ride-review) - **The Wrap**: The critic lauds the hilarious yet heartfelt buddy comedy that excels in blending raunchy humor with emotional depth on friendship and identity. They praise the pitch-perfect script and the standout performances from the ensemble cast. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/joy-ride-review-stephanie-hsu-audrey-park/) ## Details - **Director:** Adele Lim - **Director:** Adele Lim - **Screenplay:** Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, Teresa Hsiao - **Story:** Adele Lim, Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, Teresa Hsiao - **Cinematography:** Paul Yee - **Editor:** Nena Erb - **Music:** Nathan Matthew David - **Production design:** Michael N. Wong - **Producer:** Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, Teresa Hsiao, Adele Lim - **Cast:** Ashley Park as Audrey; Sherry Cola as Lolo; Stephanie Hsu as Kat; Sabrina Wu as Deadeye; Ronny Chieng as Chao; Lori Tan Chinn as Nai Nai Chen; David Denman as Joe Sullivan; Annie Mumolo as Mary Sullivan - **Runtime:** 1h 34m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 7 July 2023 - **Genres:** Comedy - **Budget:** $20 million - **Box office:** $16 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn28aZkrFn4 ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: streaming, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-10.* Also available in: AT, AU, BR, CA, CL, CO, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IN, IT, KR, MX, NO, NZ, PH, PL, PT, SE, TH, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Bridesmaids* (2011), Fi1m 82: The model, with the same writer’s fingerprints and jokes that grow out of the misery. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/bridesmaids.md) - *Girls Trip* (2017): Same shape in New Orleans; Tiffany Haddish out-rudes everyone here without breaking sweat. - *The Farewell* (2019), Fi1m 84: The quiet version of the family-in-China story; the ache without the drugs. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-farewell.md) - *Return to Seoul* (2022), Fi1m 83: A French adoptee hunts her birth parents in Korea; no jokes, twice the sting. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/return-to-seoul.md) - *Withnail and I* (1987), Fi1m 88: Two friends, one trip, no luck; British, soused, and funnier than it has any right to be. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/withnail-and-i.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/joy-ride