--- title: "Joy Ride: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/joy-ride/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/joy-ride" critics_score: 73 critics_reviews: 16 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): what the critics said Critics' score 73 from 16 reviews: 13 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. 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. ## Empire — Iana Murray Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 2023. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/joy-ride/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Rating Critics Pick. 18 March 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/joy-ride-review-2-1235558297/) ## The AV Club — Leigh Monson Rating B+. 6 July 2023. 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 the review](https://www.avclub.com/joy-ride-movie-review-1850562363) ## Little White Lies — Saskia Lloyd Gaiger Rating 3/4/3. 4 August 2023. 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 the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/joy-ride) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 July 2023. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-07-06/joy-ride-review-stephanie-hsu-adele-lim) ## Total Film — Kate Stables Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 July 2023. 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 the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/joy-ride-2023-review/) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 2 August 2023. 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 the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/joy-ride-movie-review-adele-lim-ashley-park-stephanie-hsu-b1098250.html) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 July 2023. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jul/06/joy-ride-review-slickly-likable-asian-american-comedy-dwells-on-family-and-identity) ## The Independent Rating 3/4. 6 July 2023. 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 the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-bridesmaids-kpop-beijing-chinese-b2370942.html) ## The New York Times — Elisabeth Vincentelli Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 7 July 2023. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/06/movies/joy-ride-review.html) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 7 July 2023. 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 the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-joy-ride-never-really-cuts-loose.html) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2023. 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 the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/joy-ride-review-ashley-park/) ## IndieWire — Marisa Mirabal 18 March 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/joy-ride-review-adele-lim-1234820085/) ## Screen Daily 28 July 2023. 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 the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/joy-ride-review/5184169.article) ## Sight and Sound 1 August 2023. 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 the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/joy-ride-an-overstuffed-road-movie-romp) ## Slant Magazine 30 June 2023. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/joy-ride-review-adele-lim/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Lovia Gyarkye 18 March 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/joy-ride-review-1235355796/) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★☆☆. 4 August 2023. 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 the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/joy-ride-film-review-ashley-park-p866nczhc) ## /Film — Rafael Motamayor Rating 9/10. 18 March 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1232286/joy-ride-review-a-raucous-exhilarating-girls-trip-movie-with-a-killer-cast-sxsw-2023/) ## Collider — Therese Lacson Rating B+. 5 July 2023. 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 the review](https://collider.com/joy-ride-movie-review/) ## The Playlist — Matthew Monagle Rating B+. 18 March 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://theplaylist.net/joy-ride-review-adele-lims-raunchy-comedy-is-an-instant-crowd-pleaser-sxsw-20230318/) ## Film Stories — Lauren Miles Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2023. 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 the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/joy-ride-review-four-friends-lots-of-raunchy-comedy/) ## Deadline — Valerie Complex 18 March 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://deadline.com/2023/03/joy-ride-review-stephanie-hsu-adele-lim-ashley-park-sxsw-1235301681/) ## Paste — Aurora Amidon Rating 7.9. 7 July 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/sxsw/joy-ride-review) ## The Wrap 18 March 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.thewrap.com/joy-ride-review-stephanie-hsu-audrey-park/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/joy-ride.md