Lionsgate's dramedy Joy Ride will be screening at South by Southwest ahead of its wider release in movie theaters. Directed by Crazy Rich Asians and Raya and the Last Dragon writer Adele Lim, marking her directorial debut, the film is written by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong (Family Guy) and Teresa Hsiao (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens). Lim, Chevapravatdumrong, and Hsiao also serve as producers alongside Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, and Josh Fagen.
Joy Ride follows four Asian-American friends traveling through Asia in a quest to find one of their birth mothers. It stars Ashley Park (Emily in Paris), Sherry Cola (Good Trouble), Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once), and comedian Sabrina Wu. The cast also includes Desmond Chiam (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Alexander Hodge (Insecure), Ronny Chieng (Ronny Chieng: International Student), and Chris Pang (Crazy Rich Asians).
The film's official synopsis is as follows:
Joy Ride is a hilarious and unapologetically explicit story of identity and self-discovery that centers on four unlikely friends who embark on a once-in-a-lifetime international adventure. When Audrey’s (Ashley Park) business trip to Asia goes sideways, she enlists the aid of Lolo (Sherry Cola), her irreverent, childhood best friend who also happens to be a hot mess; Kat (Stephanie Hsu), her college friend turned Chinese soap star; and Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), Lolo’s eccentric cousin. Their no-holds-barred, epic experience becomes a journey of bonding, friendship, belonging, and wild debauchery that reveals the universal truth of what it means to know and love who you are.
Catch Joy Ride at SXSW 2023
“Joy Ride is a wild romp with so much heart – it’s the perfect match for the energy and crowd that makes South by Southwest so special,” Lim said when the film was announced to premiere at SXSW.
SXSW's VP of Film and TV, Claudette Godfrey, added: "Joy Ride is an absolute blast, with plenty of side-splitting laughter and a genuine warmth at its core. We fell in love with its rowdy rollercoaster of friendship and self-discovery, and know our audience will too.”
“I can’t wait for the SXSW audience to get to see Joy Ride,” producer Seth Rogen also hypes. “It’s hilarious and original, and it’s always thrilling to get to go back to Austin with a great comedy. It’s the only festival to really put comedy films in as prominent a position as other genres and I’m grateful for that.”
Joy Ride will have its world premiere at the South by Southwest film Festival in Austin, Texas, on March 17, 2023. It will screen at Paramount Theatre at 9:00 p.m. - 10:32 p.m. The film will later release in theaters on June 23, 2023. You can find out more about the festival by heading over to SXSW.com.