This one can be described as Girls Trip<\/em> for Asians. Of course, Trip<\/em> was Bridesmaids<\/em> for the sistas, and Bridesmaids<\/em> was basically The Hangover<\/em> with white ladies. But let\u2019s concentrate on the new movie, which, like so many Apatow-era comedies, revolves around a longtime friendship that\u2019s on the verge of breaking apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Audrey (Emily in Paris<\/em>\u2019s Ashley Park) and Lolo (Good Trouble<\/em>\u2019s Sherry Cola) have been pals since they were kids. The brash, vulgar Lolo often came to the aid of Audrey, who was adopted and raised by white parents. (BTW, the mom is played by Bridesmaids<\/em> co-screenwriter Annie Mumulo.) When Audrey gets sent out by her boss (Veep<\/em>\u2019s Timothy C. Simons, doing aggressive-ally shtick) to China to close a deal \u2014 which could lead to a promotion and moving to L.A., away from her BFF \u2014 she brings along the more fluent Lolo to translate. Also tagging along for the ride is Deadeye (comedian\/writer Sabrina Wu), Lolo\u2019s awkward, K-pop-loving cousin. When they get there, they meet up with Kat (Everything Everywhere All at Once<\/em>\u2019s Stephanie Hsu), Audrey’s college roommate and a bonafide soap star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The four leads are impressively down for whateva<\/em>. Park is wonderfully white-bread as the Chinese girl who doesn\u2019t know how to be around her own people. Cola brings a lot of foul-mouthed bluster to her character \u2014 she\u2019s like a bolder Awkwafina. Fresh off of gaining a Best Supporting Actress nom for her performance in Once<\/em>, Hsu excels at being a stuck-up, secretly slutty gal who still rides for her girls. And Wu is a weird delight, ultimately serving as the awkward-but-sentimental glue that holds this crew together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As predictably farcical (and ultimately heartwarming) as it is, this is basically 92 minutes (THANK YOU FOR THAT!) of Asian-American ladies, both behind and in front of the camera, giving you some lascivious laughs. Despite all the naughty stuff that goes down, Joy Ride<\/em> reminds us we\u2019re all not that different after all. You might even learn some new shit. It\u2019s more than a comedy \u2014 it\u2019s gotdamn essential viewing for those who want to better understand Asian folk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Joy Ride” is out today in theaters.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/joy-ride-1024x683.jpg\")
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With masters of sophomoric mischief Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg having her back as producers, Crazy Rich Asians\/Raya and the Last Dragon <\/em>screenwriter Adele Lim uses her debut flick to prove that Asian-Americans can be just as amusingly foul-mouthed and uncouth as the rest of us ugly Americans. Along with Family Guy<\/em> writers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao (that should give you an indication of what type of humor we\u2019re dealing with here), Lim puts this quartet swiftly through some entertainingly fucked-up shenanigans, including a brief, coke-fueled incident with an American drug courier (Meredith Hagner) and some rowdy sexytime with a Chinese basketball team (led by former NBA player Baron Davis). But it isn\u2019t all filthy, felonious fun-and-games. These gals also go on a journey to find Audrey\u2019s birth mother, a mission that leads to some surprising (and surprisingly emotional) twists.<\/p>\n\n\n\nB<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n