I’m sure many of us harbour, or have harboured, a secret ambition to be a comedy writer. I know I did when I was young, and perhaps I still do to some extent. But while it’s one thing to write 22 minutes of episodic comedy, and I don’t mean to denigrate those wonderfully talented people who do that for a living, writing 90 or 100 minutes of comedy is on a whole other level. All too often so-called “comedy films” start out well but by the third act the jokes fail to land. THE HANGOVER, however, was one film that managed to be an LOL riot throughout and its sequel was almost as funny. By the third film, however, the humour had started to wear very thin and perhaps the franchise was ready for bed, though I’m sure Hollywood will figure out a way to get more milk out of that cash cow.

Fortunately, we don’t have to wait for that to happen because we now have a worthy successor in JOY RIDE. A sort-of female version of THE HANGOVER, although even that comparison is reductive, JOY RIDE has all the raunch that THE HANGOVER fans will love plus a whole lot more.

Audrey Sullivan (Ashley Park, TV’s ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING and EMILY IN PARIS), a Chinese adoptee of Caucasian parents, has been best friends with Lolo Chen (Sherry Cola, TV’s GOOD TROUBLE) from the moment they met as kids. Now, grown up, Audrey is an overachieving lawyer and landlady to Lolo, who is a struggling creator of sex-positive art. When Audrey is promised a promotion at her law firm if she can close a deal with a certain rich Chinese businessman (played by Ronny Chieng (CRAZY RICH ASIANS; TV’s THE DAILY SHOW)), she and Lolo pack their bags and head to China. Much to Audrey’s surprise, however, they are joined at the airport by Lolo’s socially awkward cousin, “Deadeye” (Sabrina Wu), whom Lolo has invited along. Once in Beijing, the trio meets up with Audrey’s best friend from college, Kat Huang (Stephanie Hsu, EEAAO; TV’s THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL), who has become a famous movie star in China. To Lolo’s surprise, Audrey has asked Kat, not her, to be her official translator. Those aren’t the only surprises in store for the foursome though.

If watching women talking smutty and doing the kinds of things that guys are wont to do isn’t your thing, then you’d be well advised to give JOY RIDE a pass. (Seth Rogen is one of the film’s producers, if that’s any indication of what you’re in for.) However, if you’re into gender equality, then this film is an absolute romp. But JOY RIDE is more than just a sex-and-drug-filled escapade. It also deals with some very real issues such as what it means to be an Asian-American today, inter- and intra-ethnic racism, gender identity and sexual liberation. First-time director Adele Lim (co-screenwriter of CRAZY RICH ASIANS) deftly balances the story’s outlandish humour with the serious issues to deliver a wild tale that holds up for the film’s 95-minute runtime. If you’ve been paying attention, you may have noticed that Ashley Park is of Korean heritage, not Chinese. As I was watching the film, I thought, “How could writers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao have gotten so much right but Lim got the casting so wrong?” Without revealing too much, I’ll just say that she didn’t.

Park and her co-stars are all fabulous and it’s so refreshing to see ethnically Asian actors take centerstage when all too often in films they are relegated to be the kooky but loveable sidekick to a white person. Hsu, who has already received two SAG Awards and an Oscar nomination, chalks up another brilliant performance, again showing audiences that she is very comfortable doing physical humour. We’re going to be seeing her again next March in THE FALL GUY starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. I wasn’t a fan of the 1980s TV show but I could get on board with this reboot. I’m hoping she’ll be the story’s baddie but I honestly don’t know.

JOY RIDE is currently available to rent or buy on Amazon and Apple. Strap yourself in for one of the funniest films of the year so far!

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