While Audrey may struggle to connect to both sides of her Asian-American heritage, Deadeye also has to navigate the gender norms placed on them by their family. On paper, Deadeye’s arc should be less impactful than that of the other characters - Deadeye is learning to make essential human connections, not navigate major life events - but Wu’s identity as a nonbinary actor adds richness to the role. The film’s true highlight is Deadeye, Sabrina Wu’s character. How “Joy Ride” navigates Audrey’s identity is one of the film’s highlights, and the script is full of jokes and set pieces rooted in these kinds of cultural specificities without punching down. Both Lolo and Kat are bilingual and have strong familial ties to China, but Audrey often feels like an interloper, forced to wait for conversations to be translated or cultural touchpoints to be explained. The film’s crux is Audrey’s struggles to reconcile her Chinese and American heritage while holding onto friendships that bridge those worlds. Between prolonged sex scenes and even the occasional musical number (!), Lim and company demonstrate intentionality with the material that keeps it one step ahead of audience expectations.Īnd that kind of thoughtfulness is essential because “Joy Ride” is trying to do more with its material than many of its peers. An increased emphasis on structure and editing enhances the jokey dialogue between the film’s stars. From the moment the group of friends set foot on a cross-country train - and run into a drug smuggling American who threatens them into helping her, ah, hide her stash - “Joy Ride” switches into a higher gear. Thankfully, director Adele Lim understands the visual potential of humor as well. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, mind you - there are plenty of funny movies rooted in characters talking shit to each other - but as with any Hollywood trend, seeing something again and again eventually leads to diminishing returns. And for the first twenty minutes, “Joy Ride” appears to be another acceptable example of unscripted comedy. One of the hallmarks of Apatow-style movies is their emphasis on improvisation you put talented performers onscreen together and let them find the best version of the joke at the moment. Modern comedy is often defined by dialogue. Soon the four embark on a cross-country road trip that involves cocaine, Baron Davis, and more than a few uncomfortable truths. So when the group is unexpectedly joined by Deadeye ( Sabrina Wu), Lolo’s awkward cousin, the four friends hatch a wild scheme to reconnect Audrey with her birth mother in an attempt to impress her client. She is adopted - her parents are White - and speaks no Mandarin, relying heavily on her friends to help her navigate local customs. When Audrey is tasked with closing an important Chinese contract, she jumps at the chance to travel with Lolo and visit her college roommate Kat ( Stephanie Hsu), a rising television star.īut in her desire to make partner, Audrey has somewhat overstated her familiarity with the Chinese market. That friendship carries them through to their very different adulthoods, where Audrey has become a prominent lawyer at a local law firm, and Lolo, ever the starving artist, crashes in her guest house. READ MORE: SXSW 2023 Preview: 25 Must-See Film & TV Projects To WatchĪs the only two Asian-American kids in a suburban Washington community, Audrey ( Ashley Park) and Lolo ( Sherry Cola) were destined to become friends. So it’s no surprise to see Adele Lim’s “ Joy Ride” become the latest movie to try to take the festival by storm. The Austin-based film festival is often the jumping-off point for some of the year’s highest-profile comedies previous premieres have included films like “ Knocked Up,” “ 21 Jump Street,” “ Keanu,” and the work-in-progress debut of “ Bridesmaids.” This means a stop at SXSW is an absolute no-brainer for any film resulting from the Judd Apatow producing tree. When it comes to R-rated comedies, no other film festival can hold a candle to SXSW.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |