A trip to China turns into a wild (and hilarious) journey of self discovery in the new trailer for “Crazy Rich Asians” co-writer Adele Lim’s directorial debut, “Joy Ride.” The upcoming movie stars “Emily in Paris” actor Ashley Park and Sherry Cola as best friends Audrey and Lolo, who head to China on a business trip with the hope of finding Audrey’s birth mother along the way. However, their itinerary falls apart when they meet a drug dealer on the train who ropes them and their friends, Lolo’s cousin Deadeye (Sabrina Wu) and Audrey’s former roommate Kat (played by recent Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu) into her dangerous operation.
In one of the trailer’s funniest scenes, the friends try to dispose of all the drugs as quickly as possible by ingesting them, and hiding them on – and in – their bodies. “Just push, pull… I mean twist it!” Lolo encourages a desperate Kat as she tries to remove the bags she stashed in her butt. “It’s not a Bop It, it’s my asshole!” she replies.
“Joy Ride” made its world debut at the SXSW festival in Austin on March 17. During an interview with Vanity Fair, Lim shared that her goal was to make a film in the vein of “The Hangover” and “Bridesmaids” that put the spotlight squarely on young Asian women. “There’s a certain way Asian American women particularly are portrayed in TV and film – there’s a lot of exoticization and fetishization,” she explained. “We really wanted to tell a story inspired by our friendship and our friends, and having characters that were messy and thirsty and just pieces of work.”
The end result appears to be a no-holds-barred comedy about friendship, finding your roots, and having a whole lot of fun along the way. Read on for everything you need to know about “Joy Ride” ahead, including the movie’s two trailers and premiere date.
