Joy to the World

Damn, every trailer that gets released of “Joy Ride” makes me want to watch “Joy Ride” even more, which, well done marketing team I guess. But really, well done Adele Lim. The screenwriter behind “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Raya and the Last Dragon” makes her directorial debut with the ensemble girls trip comedy. While comparisons abound, it’s already abundantly clear the film is more than just “The Hangover” but make it Asian chicks. Instead of using a literal hangover as its narrative force to tell the story of dudes gone wild, “Joy Ride” follows an Asian-American woman’s search for her cultural roots, while also drinking too much and hiding drugs in bodily orifices. Now that’s what I call a win-win-win. Joy to the world and all that.

Gaysian Excellence

So it has become, entirely unplanned, a bit of an Asian Excellence week here at Surrenders. First I rant about Kristen Kish’s new Disney+/NatGeo show being ignored by the marketing department, and now I’m all about the female Asian The Hangover, but with a more meaningful cultural foundation than a bunch of drunk white dudes at a bachelor party. It also stars freshly anointed Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu, who did you know since EEAAO she has finished three other movies AND a TV series? Our gal be bizzzzy, and I’m here for it. Anway, back to the movie at hand. I’ve watched both the red band and green band trailers multiple times now and I’ve laughed ever.single.time. So, yeah, imma see this. And while it may appear most of the characters are aggressively straight (not that there’s anything wrong with that), the actor playing Cousin Deadeye is nonbinary comic Sabrina Wu. Also, Stephanie is maybepossiblyprobably queer of some sorts too, though honestly I can’t find any official coming out. But the literal OSCARS added her to the list “Pride Guide: 15 LGBTQ+ Filmmakers and Actors on The Rise” last summer. So, as I was saying, it’s Gaysian Excellence week. Respect.