The trailer for “Joy Ride”, a raunchy comedy starring a strong cast of Asian actors, dropped this weekend. Fans are buzzing ahead to its release this summer.
The trailer begins with a bang, a 5-year-old Asian girl punching and cursing at a white classmate for calling her a racist slur. The film’s trailer focuses on the friendship between Audrey (Ashley Park), and Lolo (“Sherry Cola”).
The story is reminiscent of the Asian version of “The Hangover” and follows two women on a journey to China to find Audrey’s birth mom. They meet Audrey’s college roommate Kat (Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu), and Lolo’s cousin Deadeye, (Sabrina Wu).
The four of them travel together through China and meet hot men, have their passports taken, pretend to be K-pop stars, then get caught up in drug smuggling.
Hsu stated that it was a privilege to be able to act in this wild, crazy, and raunchy movie. “Our movie isn’t about so much more. It’s just a good time.”
The film will be released on July 7th by Adele Lim, a “Crazy Rich Asians” writer in her directorial debut. Seth Rogen produced the film, which features cameos from Chris Pang, Desmond Chiam, and Ronny Chieng.
It is unabashedly sexual and Cola believes that this is one of the most important aspects. “Joy Ride,” which is about Asian women’s historical exoticism and fetishization by Western media, offers a chance for a rewrite of the story.
Cola stated that it has always been extreme “historically,” during the interview. “This film is about reclaiming sexuality and telling the story through our own lenses, through our mouths, and through our bodies. That’s my number one goal, to redefine the box that we have been placed in.
Cast members stated that a movie with Asian main characters is a monumental achievement in a media landscape that has so often served audiences Asians as stereotypes and side roles.
Park stated that “We are all very comfortable being supporting characters.” Park said, “We were all like, “Oh my gosh! It feels like we’ve been shooting a new movie every day. Like a different genre.” And then we realized, “I guess that’s how being the protagonist in your story feels like.”
