![]() ![]() “gets” this, but she really doesn’t because her life is not centered around the same definition of work, success, and happiness by which Audrey has guided her own. Also along for the ride is Lolo’s cousin, Deadeye, (non-binary standup comedian Sabrina Wu, in an absolutely delightful scene-stealing turn), an awkward, eccentric K-Pop fan whose only friends are online.Īs Audrey keeps reminding Lolo, this is a work trip and it’s important to her Lolo says she ![]() She invites Lolo along for emotional support - and to help with translating - and plans to connect in Beijing with her college roommate and other best friend, Kat ( Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once), a charismatic and successful Chinese soap opera star. ![]() Stephanie Hsu and Desmond Chiam in Joy Ride/LionsgateĪudrey’s job sends her to China to close an important contract her boss assumes she’s fluent in Chinese because she’s Asian, and she gamely pretends she is because she wants to close this deal and make partner. ![]() Somehow, in spite of their differences, their decades-long friendship has sustained and carried them both through the isolation of being “othered” in an otherwise homogeneous town. Audrey has chosen a safe, traditional career in law, while Lolo, an aspiring artist who makes art as in-your-face and sex-positive as she is, lives in Audrey’s backyard. Where Audrey shies away from conflict and makes her life choices based on career success and fitting in (“And thanks for the Mulan-themed birthday party,” she tells her colleagues with a straight face), Lolo meets conflict head-on, punches it in the face, and flips it off with both hands. Meanwhile, Lolo grows into that chaotic, disorganized hot mess of a friend who will feel familiar to many of us, whether because we have a friend just like her or we are the Lolo of our friend group. When we jump to the present day, we see an athletic adult Audrey - now a successful lawyer - soundly beating her boss in racquetball. Audrey doubles down on being perceived as successful, smart, and competitive, shielding herself from growing up Asian in a white world with trophies and awards. An early scene that sets up their relationship finds Young Lolo ( Chloe Pun) telling Young Audrey ( Isla Rose Hall) not to worry about what other people think of her. The film centers around Audrey ( Ashley Park, Emily in Paris), an Asian American adoptee raised by well-meaning white parents, and Lolo ( Sherry Cola, Shortcomings), who becomes Audrey’s best friend in spite of their differences because they’re the only two Asian American girls in their small, lily-white Washington town. For a night of uncontrollable laughter with friends, or for a solo movie viewing that's bound to bring out a smile, some goofy comedy films are all about entertainment.Following its buzzy premiere at SXSW in March, the bawdy comedy Joy Ride cruises into theaters this weekend, and it follows four Asian-American friends on an unlikely-but-hilarious adventure as they travel through China in search of one girl’s birth mother.Īdele Lim, who previously penned Crazy Rich Asians, the 2018 rom-com that grossed over $283 million worldwide, makes a solid feature directorial debut here, and she also shares story credit with screenwriters Cherry Chevapravatdumrong ( Family Guy) and Teresa Hsiao ( Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens), whose hilarious script is raunchy yet, and certainly more nuanced than one would expect from a buddy comedy/road-trip movie. Comedy films allow for certain strengths that many stand-up performances and sitcoms can't provide, allowing for prolonged humor around a singular story, constantly building toward a massive, climactic punch line. Humor is subjective, and comedy films will always be hit-or-miss depending on the viewer, but chaotic humor is almost always a hit in the right setting.įrom Will Ferrell and Ben Stiller in the 2000s, to the films of Leslie Nielsen in the '80s, to modern comedic classics, there's plenty for everyone to enjoy. While some comedies center more on romance or action, others are made purely for constant laughter, with high energy, absurd characters and ideas, and shocking physical comedy. There are tons of great comedy films, but some contain a chaotic energy that makes them wildly entertaining from beginning to end. ![]()
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