Joy Ride
Lionsgate | Release Date: July 7, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 44 Critic Reviews
Positive:
37
Mixed:
7
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
IndieWireMarisa MirabalMar 19, 2023
With so much to say and a supremely talented cast embodying lovable and multi-dimensional characters, a sequel is a no-brainer. “Joy Ride” is easily the golden standard for progressive, raunchy comedy and the need for more diverse stories being told on screen. Read full review
90
The New York TimesElisabeth VincentelliJul 6, 2023
Joy Ride processes all of its familiar ingredients into a sustained, sometimes near-berserk, barrage of jokes, interspersed with epic set pieces. Read full review
90
TheWrapLex BriscusoMar 20, 2023
This is such a bold and genuine movie, one that highlights the concepts of found family, maternal connections and doing what makes you happy alongside all of its unrestrained and risque fun. Read full review
90
SlashfilmRafael MotamayorMar 19, 2023
Joy Ride is the big, broad, studio comedy to beat this year, an incredible directorial debut with one of the funniest scripts in a while, and a cast that should get all the praise in the world because they just became the dynamic quartet to watch. Read full review
88
USA TodayBrian TruittJul 6, 2023
It’s the kind of film where everybody will have their own favorite characters and riotous episodes but it doesn’t need A-list cameos or needle drops to make a mark – though it does boast one instantly memorable K-pop remix of a Cardi B hit. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJul 5, 2023
I avoid saying a comedy is “laugh out loud hilarious” unless that’s literally true, but I laughed out loud at least a half-dozen times at the edgy antics of Joy Ride — and I was genuinely moved by the warmhearted scenes depicting the complicated bonds of friendship and family. Read full review
85
ABC NewsPeter TraversJul 7, 2023
All your friends will be talking about this femcentric raunchfest and its fabulous Asian-American actors who are ready to lace every laugh with human complication. Read full review
85
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzJul 4, 2023
Joy Ride is as fantastically filthy as they come, providing enough glorious gags about gagging to carry audiences through the cold, hard winter to come. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubLeigh MonsonJul 6, 2023
Joy Ride is a real blast, offering its sentimentality as a garnish to a road trip that emphasizes the sex in sex positivity. Read full review
83
ColliderTherese LacsonJul 5, 2023
Bursting with laughter and heart, Joy Ride is not only chock-full of ribald comedy, but it's a wholesome story about friendship which is what grounds these types of movies. Read full review
83
ConsequenceLiz Shannon MillerJun 27, 2023
Beyond the gross-out humor and music video homages, there’s a sweet and emotional story about finding family in the world where you’d least expect it, and the strength that can be found in friendship. Read full review
83
The PlaylistMatthew MonagleMar 19, 2023
Sometimes, you have to be really smart to be really stupid, and “Joy Ride” threads that needle with aplomb. Read full review
80
The IndependentClarisse LoughreyAug 17, 2023
Hsu and Cola balance the mania well against Park’s straight woman sincerity, but it’s Wu, a rising star on the standup scene, who serves as Joy Ride’s surprise MVP. Read full review
80
EmpireIana MurrayAug 1, 2023
Both hilarious and heartfelt, Joy Ride packs a nuanced exploration of Asian identity into a Trojan Horse comedy, filled with enough narcotics to get the blood pumping. Read full review
80
Screen DailyNikki BaughanJul 28, 2023
Joy Ride could easily have felt like a series of increasingly outrageous skits but, thanks to the chemistry between its leads and the tonal confidence of first time director Adele Lim, it ultimately lands as a raucously authentic comedy. Read full review
80
Total FilmKate StablesJul 25, 2023
If it sometimes feels a bit overstuffed, put that down to Lim’s understandable urge to prove that a gal-centred, globetrotting comedy can offer diversity, sharp social commentary, and dick jokes. Read full review
80
We Got This CoveredSandeep SanhuJul 10, 2023
Fresh takes, classic gags, and excellent performances from its leads elevate an occasionally clunky and very packed script into something well worth watching. Read full review
80
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiJul 7, 2023
Joy Ride is the kind of film that will make you laugh and cry in equal measure. Bolstered by a fantastic ensemble cast, the road trip comedy isn’t afraid to get dirty, but it never forgets its heart in the process. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicKaely MonahanJul 7, 2023
What makes Joy Ride stand out among other R-rated comedies is its heart, smart writing and attention to detail in each of the characters that comes from the unique perspective of an Asian director and cast tapping into shared experiences, stereotypes and cultural particularities. I haven’t laughed this hard in a movie theater in a very long time. Read full review
80
The Daily Beast Fletcher PetersJul 7, 2023
Adele Lim’s romp fits in with the likes of Bridesmaids and Girls Trip—which is to say, underneath all the sex and raunchiness, there’s actual emotional depth. Read full review
80
Film ThreatAlan NgJul 6, 2023
Joy Ride breaks through all the preconceived notions of female-led sex comedy and an all-Asian cast. Director Adele Lim has brought back for this brief moment in time the over-the-top sex comedy and delivers. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangJul 6, 2023
Joy Ride, an amusingly rude and high-spirited romp from the debuting director Adele Lim (a co-writer on “Crazy Rich Asians”), has a way of turning predictable story beats into spiky, revealing cultural distinctions Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeMar 19, 2023
The deft screenplay establishes the giddy energy coursing through Joy Ride, but it’s the performances from Ashley Park (Emily in Paris), Sherry Cola (Shortcomings), Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and Sabrina Wu that maintain the film’s anarchic pulse. Read full review
79
Paste MagazineAurora AmidonMar 20, 2023
With its team assembled, Joy Ride descends into a fearless and unpredictable romp packed to the brim with absurd and unapologetically raunchy humor. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenJul 5, 2023
Joy Ride slides comfortably into the tradition of hard-R road-trip movies while also demonstrating that American culture still has many areas to open up in terms of representation. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchKatie WalshJul 15, 2023
Hilariously daring, deeply moving and stereotype-busting in equal measure, Joy Ride is also the raunchiest movie to make you shed a tear. Read full review
75
The Associated PressJocelyn NoveckJul 7, 2023
The plot — outlandish and sometimes contrived as it is — offers plenty of room for comic possibility. And more. Screenwriters Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao explore themes of identity, assimilation and anti-Asian racism both overt and casual — and within the Asian community itself. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyDevan CogganJul 7, 2023
Even among all the sex jokes and vulgar one-liners, Joy Ride boasts a real beating heart. It's a raunchy (and occasionally familiar) ride, but it's well worth the trip. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJul 6, 2023
Joy Ride feels like it easily could have been better, but it’s certainly good enough, and it might be remembered as an early milestone in some significant careers. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJul 6, 2023
The on-screen talents, savvy and fine company all, have been ready for something like this far longer than the opportunity has been available. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldJul 5, 2023
Along the way, we learn that all four actors are not only charmingly believable as friends but also brilliant at physical comedy. Read full review
75
Washington PostOlivia McCormackJul 5, 2023
Joy Ride is a heartwarming film about identity and friendship wrapped in a package of penis jokes. The directorial debut of Adele Lim, a co-writer of “Crazy Rich Asians,” applies “Bridesmaids” humor to a story that is surprisingly genuine and full of richly developed relationships. Read full review
70
Little White LiesSaskia Lloyd GaigerAug 14, 2023
The near-romantic jealousy between long-time friends, and the excruciating but sometimes rewarding difficulty of introducing contrasting friends to one another, are explored to squirm-inducingly funny effect. Read full review
70
Rolling StoneDavid FearJul 7, 2023
Sex, drugs, profanity, penises, puke, poop, the use of “party” as a verb — Joy Ride embraces these reliable gross-out-comedy standbys with a gleeful sense of gusto. It’s also out to prove that you can make something novel without reducing it to being a novelty. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeMar 18, 2023
The movie may not be “Bridesmaids”-level brilliant, but it’s got more than a couple hall-of-fame-worthy comedy set-pieces. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comMonica CastilloJul 7, 2023
It’s as if Lim and fellow co-writers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao saw the antics in Malcolm D. Lee’s “Girls Trip” as a challenge to top. It’s safe to say the crew in Joy Ride do top the outrageous factor, but whether or not it’s as effective will depend on the viewer’s stomach for bawdy humor. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonJul 6, 2023
Ultimately, Joy Ride is an uneasy melding of “Girls Trip” and “Return to Seoul”; it’s two pieces that work well by themselves but clash when forced to collaborate. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)Alison WillmoreJul 18, 2023
Watching the film is a reminder that the most boundary-pushing comedy isn’t about risqué content but a willingness to get uncomfortable and the confidence to assume audiences will join along in that journey. Joy Ride instead seeks out the warm fuzzies in a way that feels like a surrender. Read full review
60
Vanity FairRichard LawsonJul 7, 2023
There’s great stuff in Joy Ride, the jumbled atoms of a classic comedy all waiting to be gathered into a cohesive whole. If they didn’t quite get it together on this outing, they certainly prove their potential. Read full review
60
CNNBrian LowryJul 7, 2023
Built around a predominantly Asian-American cast, it’s so determined to be crude and edgy that while its friendship dynamic lingers, its initial cleverness gets left in the rear-view mirror. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawJul 6, 2023
A fun ride. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJul 7, 2023
While it’s possible to conceive a compelling story constructed out of the strands forming Joy Ride’s threadbare cloak, that narrative would require a better screenplay and a series of grounded, less ostentatious performances. Read full review
40
The TelegraphRobbie CollinAug 4, 2023
The problem isn’t that this unusual combination of genres doesn’t click. It’s that the jokes are so stale, the performances so broad, and the plot so greased up with improbable short cuts, that Audrey’s journey feels less like a voyage of self-discovery than a coach tour of the form’s dustiest landmarks. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithJul 7, 2023
It isn’t until the last half hour that the film finally switches tones from aggressively and charmlessly filthy to thoughtful. Read full review
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