Crazy Rich Asians was one of the best romantic films in recent years, so the news that the film’s co-writer Adele Lim’s directorial debut just around the corner has got us excited. Joy Ride is a new comedy that stars Emily in Paris’ Ashley Park and Everything Everywhere All At Once’s Stephanie Hsu in the cast alongside Sabrina Wu and Sherry Cola. It sees four Asian-American friends travel through Asia in search of Audrey (Park)’s long-lost birth mother.

Described as a “hilarious and unapologetically explicit story of identity and self-discovery”, Joy Ride focuses on Audrey, who’s off on a business trip to Asia. Things unfortunately begin to go sideways, and looks to help and advice from her best friend from childhood, Lolo, an “irreverent hot mess”, along with her college friend Kat (the Oscar nominated Hsu), a Chinese soap star, and Deadeye, eccentric cousin of Lolo. They embark across Asia, looking for Audrey’s birth mother, and their of journey becomes one of “bonding, friendship, belonging, and wild debauchery that reveals the universal truth of what it means to know and love who you are.”

Joy Ride definitely makes no secret that it’s a raunchy unfiltered comedy, with the recently released red-band trailer featuring plenty of swearing, dirty jokes and a scene of the group hilariously trying to hide drugs while on a train in China. There’s also hints of a rivalry between Audrey and the successful Kat (“You ready to lose to a celebrity?”), Audrey’s feeling of not belonging, and the four trying to disguise themselves as K-Pop stars to get past airport security. So, there’s definitely a lot of crazy antics to pack into this parental search mission.

The film’s been in the works since the release of Crazy Rich Asians, with both Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg onboard producing. It’s being written by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, known for her work with Seth McFarlane on Family Guy and The Orville, and Teresa Hsiao, who also worked on Family Guy and co-created Awkwafina is Nora From Queens.

Alongside the main four, the film is set to star Ronny Chieng (The Daily Show, M3GAN), Lori Tan Chinn (Orange is The New Black), David Denman (The Office) and Chris Pang (Crazy Rich Asians).

Joy Ride is set to arrive in US cinemas on 7th July, with a UK release date soon.

Culture

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