There are plenty of hilarious comedies out there, from some of the funniest romantic comedies to family comedies, but when was the last time you sat down in a theater for a good old raunchy road trip comedy? That’s what Joy Ride intends to show you – where you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and most likely, have a very fun time.
The film has released its first trailer and has gotten some pretty impressive reviews already that solidify it as a movie to see this summer, but what should you know about it? When is it coming out? Who is going to star in it? For the questions that you may have, here is what we know so far about Joy Ride.
What Is The Joy Ride Release Date?
Get excited, because Joy Ride will be coming out in theatres on July 7th, 2023. The film, which was originally scheduled for June 23rd, 2023, was pushed by a few days, but it will be coming out this year.
This is super exciting news for the 2023 movie release schedule, specifically for July as a whole. That month already has a bunch of awesome movies scheduled: the next chapter of Insidious, titled Insidious: Fear the Dark, is set to come out on the same day, but in the weeks after, several other big movies are set to release, including Barbie, as well as Oppenhimer and Mission: Impossible –Dead Reckoning – Part 1. Truly, July is going to be stacked.
Ashley Park, Stephanie Hsu, And More Star
If you were wondering who is going to be starring in Joy Ride, get excited, because we have wonderful representation for Asian American actresses who will be our leading four ladies. Originally announced with the film in Variety, it was confirmed that Ashley Park was set to play the lead role in the upcoming film. Park, who got her start on Broadway but has since moved over into television, including a role in the Emily in Paris cast, is such a great person to lead this all-star cast.
Also a part of the main cast is Stephanie Hsu, as reported by Deadline, who was recently just nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, and will also be making an appearance in the upcoming Disney+ show, American Born Chinese. Confirmed by Variety, Sherry Cola is also set to join the lead cast, and rounding out the final four is Sabrina Wu, who is a comedian.
There’s so much to get excited about with just these main four awesome actresses, but there are plenty of other actors who have signed on for the film. According to Deadline, Desmond Chiam, Alexander Hodge, and Chris Pang all joined the film, as well.
This is already looking like an amazing film, not only for fans of comedy, but for those looking for something more diverse on our movie screens that offers proper representation.
Check Out The Trailer For Joy Ride
If you're at all interested in a crazy girls trip that takes them half-way across the country and ends up with them snorting cocaine while traveling, then you’re going to want to watch the Joy Ride trailer down below, because it's filled with hijinks, hilarities, and a lot of heart. But beware, it does contain a bunch of adult language and plenty of other R-rated material, so better keep the kids out!
Looks like a wilde ride, right?
Joy Ride Will Follow Four Asian-American Women On Their Travels To Asia
As I’ve mentioned a few times throughout this article, and which was confirmed in the Variety article about Ashley Park’s casting, the film is set to be a raunchy comedy that follows four Asian-American women as they travel through Asia on one mission – to find the birth mother of one of the travelers.
From the trailer, we can already see the shenanigans that they get into while on this quest, including ingesting coke on a bullet train, plenty of violence, drinking, and dressing up as hilarious fake K-Pop stars – as well as kids cursing. Which is honestly hilarious and always a win.
Adele Lim Is Making Her Directorial Debut
Also talked about in the article regarding Park’s casting is that Joy Ride is actually going to be Adele Lim’s directorial debut. Lim, as you might know, co-wrote the screenplay for the hit romantic comedy, Crazy Rich Asians, but this will be the first film in Hollywood that she’ll get to direct.
Lim spoke to Variety regarding her debut, saying that she felt like the “luckiest bitch in town” to be able to make a movie such as this and be able to direct it:
I’ll just start by saying I am the luckiest bitch in town. I’d been a TV writer-producer for many years before I got into features. I don’t think I had any aspirations of directing. But Point Grey, who has a history of working with first-time writers/directors, asked me if I’d be up for it. The first thing I said was, ‘Yes.’
Lim also spoke about how her main goal was to be able to keep a handle on the movie that she wanted to make, and the production company that she is working with, Point Grey, really helped her along that process:
The important thing was having a handle on the story. We talk about wanting to put forward female-centered narratives and Point Grey was a tremendous ally.
Cherry Chevapravatdumrong And Teresa Hsiao Are Co-Writing
The last thing to bring up with Joy Ride is that the film is co-written by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, both of whom worked on the hit sitcom, Awkwafina is Nora From Queens, starring Awkwafina.
They, along with Lim, created the story for the movie. Lim actually spoke about the story in her Variety interview, saying how they had been friends for a long time and wanted the story to be authentic to who they were as Asian American women, and as friends:
The story comes from girlfriends. We get together all the time, we do ridiculous things. But I think as a female minority, we don’t see that part of ourselves on screen very often, particularly for Asian women.
What are you the most excited for when it comes to Joy Ride? I know I’ll be in the theater the day that this comes out, most likely laughing my butt off. I’m only counting down the days until then.
