The APAHM Project Day 1: Joy Ride
- Lauren
- May 1
- 7 min read
Movie: Joy Ride
Directed By: Adele Lim
Release: 2023
Where to Watch: Hulu
Why It Made The List:
You know her name, and if you don't, you definitely know these titles: Crazy Rich Asians, Raya and the Last Dragon, as well as a handful of popular television shows like "Star-Crossed," "One Tree Hill," and "Las Vegas." Adele Lim has spent most of her career in the Producing/Writing role, but in 2023 she made her directorial debut with Joy Ride. Written by Lim, Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, and Teresa Hsiao, and starring Ashley Park (Mean Girls on Broadway, "Emily in Paris"), Sherry Cola ("Shrinking," Shortcomings, "Nobody Wants This"), Academy Award-nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once, "Laid," "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"), and Sabrina Wu (writer for "Dying for Sex" and "Doogie Kamealoha, M.D."), this film gives Asian women space to be unhinged, funny, and, most importantly, human.
My Thoughts:
If you were to describe Joy Ride, I think it would be really easy to say it's Bridesmaids or Girls Trip but Asian. And I think you can even say Girls Trip is Bridesmaid, but with Black women. But why should either of those films be reduced to just a race-swapped version of a popular movie about 5 white-passing women? All three of these movies are their own unique thing. And I am so glad that Lim and Joy Ride break open the box that Asian women (and men) are put into.
At first, yes, Joy Ride's premise is quite similar to the other two movies I mentioned. Audrey (Park), Lolo (Cola), and Deadeye (Wu) fly to Beijing for Audrey's work trip to close a deal that could make her become partner at her law firm. Upon landing, they reunite with Kat (Audrey's college bestie) and fail at closing the deal with Audrey's client. Lolo then bluffs that Audrey's birth mother lives in China and they are very close, buying them time. The four girls set out on a wild joy ride to find Audrey's birth mother and bring her back to Beijing to help close the deal.
Audrey was adopted by white parents in a predominantly white neighborhood in Washington. Her parents enthusiastically approach Lolo's parents to ask if they are Chinese and if their daughter would be friends with theirs. Lolo's parents are confused until Audrey is revealed. The girls grow up to be best friends, with Lolo always defending Audrey. During their school days, Audrey is asked why her parent's don't look like her on her family tree and why her birth parents didn't want her. It pushes Audrey to be an overachiever to give the kids something else to talk about.
Audrey becomes a successful lawyer in a male-dominated firm who definitely never fail to remind her she is both Asian and a woman (going as far ad throwing her a Mulan-themed birthday party). Her boss even tells her she would love LA should she make partner because there's a Chinatown, Korea Town, and Thai Town. The problem is, Audrey feels far from Asian. She doesn't eat Asian food, has a "rosé all day" pillow, and goes in for "sandwich hugs" with her parents (which Lolo deems as something white people do). Lolo is constantly telling Audrey she's white, while Audrey insists she is Chinese.
Lolo is a body positive artist whose goal is to challenge fetishes Asian people have to deal with around sexuality. She claims sex is not something to be ashamed of. If you have ever met an auntie, you know that topics like these are very taboo. Looking up the ratings for Bridesmaids, Joy Ride, and Girls Trip, they are respectively 6.8, 6.4, and 6.2. They are all pretty even, but I feel like only one of those are considered a "cult classic." It definitely lends to the stereotype of what Asian women aren't allowed to be. They aren't allowed to be crude or do drugs or have sex or cuss. Hollywood and media has painted Asian women as docile and submissive, the nerd (looking at you 2026 Devil Wears Prada 2), overly sexualized, or as dragon ladies who could literally kill you. They aren't meant to be messy or funny or relatable. They aren't allowed to be human. These stereotypes represent almost nobody in the real world. They continue to perpetuate how other people expect Asian women to be like. Now let's look at The Hangover. Rating of 7.7, started a franchise, and is definitely considered a cult classic. Men are allowed to be crude and for it to be funny. I feel like there has been a rise in women comedians in the last few decades, but it was something that wasn't common early in Hollywood (see "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"). Lolo's character represents what a film like Joy Ride can do for breaking gender and racial stereotypes.
Kat and Deadeye round out the main cast. Kat is a famous drama actress in China who is engaged to her very Christian co-star (Desmond Chiam). She and Lolo are jealous of each other's friendship with Audrey. But after all the craziness, she comes clean to her fiance that she isn't a virgin and becomes friends with Lolo in order to support Audrey. Deadeye joins the girls to Beijing to meet up with some of her BTS online friends. She overhears that Audrey doesn't want her to come and admits she has a hard time making friends. She then is convinced even her online friends won't show up for her, and they do. Once in South Korea, Deadeye goes to buy all her new friends (Audrey, Lolo, and Kat) drinks, finally happy to make friends. Of all the girls, I think Deadeye is the most "stereotyped" for being quiet, socially awkward, and into K-pop and cutesy bear-shaped teas. But Deadeye delivers some of the best comedic timing in the entire movie, proving not to count out the quiet ones.
Not only is the film full of comedic charm, there are a ton of "subtle Asian traits" littered throughout. Aunties who complain you don't eat enough and then comment on your weight, keeping plastic bags inside other plastic bags. Or when they say the boy is 12 years old counting the Chinese way, so he's actually 11. My absolute favorite though is when Deadeye states it doesn't matter where you come from because we all end up walking around like "this" and walks hunched over with her hands behind her back. Yeah, I definitely don't relate to that at all...
But the film is also relatable in the way that Audrey never feels like she belongs. Many non-POC viewers may not understand the nuance of Asian and Asian American. By having Audrey be adopted by white parents, the cultural difference is more obvious. Also kudos to Lim for using the adoptee trope instead of the half-Asian/half-white trope in this instance. Audrey is caught between being too Asian at work and not Asian enough by her friends and client. Her client states "If you don't know where you come from, how do you know who you are?" and goes on to say she is a "typical American." I speak about this in a lot of APAHM posts, but as an Asian American, I also feel the way Audrey does. She gets excited in the Beijing airport because she says everyone looks like them. But Lolo is quick to bring her back to reality by distinguishing the different regions of China represented. When I go to other cities, I feel so refreshed when there's a large Asian presence. But it doesn't take long to notice they speak Mandarin instead of Cantonese or like Northern style food instead of Southern. I am quickly reminded that I am still seen as othered even among people who look like me.
In a heart-to-heart moment with Lolo, Audrey admits she has wondered what it would be like if she had grown up in Beijing. She says that she would be like everyone else, no one would stare at her, and how people wouldn't ask her parents where they got her. She continues wistfully "I wouldn't just be the Asian girl....I could be the smart girl or the nice, funny girl. I wonder if I'd still feel like I had to be perfect all the time just to belong." As I wrote in this year's introductory blog post, being Asian is just a very small part of who we are. It is not our entire identity. Our job (i.e. Audrey) is not our entire identity. Someone like Lolo is so sure of who she is despite either of those things. Additionally, there is always a higher standard that minority groups have to uphold. The impression you give someone could cement how they view all people of your group. Minorities are given less opportunities than their white counterparts and even less second chances. Audrey was fired on the spot after her boss thought she was treating her trip like a vacation instead of work. Because Audrey's identity was so tied to being Chinese and a lawyer, she begins to spiral when she gets fired and finds out she is actually Korean. Audrey's sentiment of not just being the "Asian girl" hits home. While I love my culture and being Chinese, it might be one of the least interesting things about me. At the end of the day, people who are deemed "different" just want to belong. In the end, Audrey found where she belonged in her friends.
In Conclusion:
Lim, Chevapravatdumrong, and Hsiao deliver a fun, heartfelt, and funny film with many themes, nods, and references throughout that paints a wonderful love letter to the Asian American community. I also loved Lim breaking the stereotype that Asian men are not deemed as desirable by casting men like Chiam, Ronnie Chieng, Chris Pang, Alexander Hodge, and Rohain Arora. Also, the Crazy Rich Asians trickle effect was definitely present with the casting and the Kina Granis song!
I know I began by saying Joy Ride is just Asian Bridesmaids, but it is so clear that this movie was made for us at the end of the day. So much of the humor may go unnoticed if you aren't familiar with some of those Asian traits. But even still, Lim proves that women can be funny, Asian women can be funny. They can be unfiltered, loud, crass, and a little wild. All of these things are universal to any human. And all in all, Lim proves friendship and sisterhood are universal too.
Shout Out!
Today's shout out goes to Orcé, a makeup brand that has shades inclusive to Asian skin tones. Founded by Yu-Chen Shih, Orcé strives to do "better" by having clean ingredients and follow high standards. Due to their mission. Orcé offers a variety of products that compliment undertones and shades that were not represented in other brands before. Be sure to check them out!
If You Liked This, You Might Also Like:
Quiz Lady on Hulu
Laid on Peacock
Fire Island on Hulu
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