Joy Ride: 8 Similar Road Trip Comedies You Must See

‘Joy Ride’ is a comedy film directed by debutante director Adele Lim. It stars Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, and Sabrina Wu in the lead roles. The film tells the story of best friends Audrey and Lolo, accompanied by Audrey’s college roommate, Kat, and Lolo’s cousin, Deadeye, as the girls set out on a road trip across China to find Audrey’s biological mother. The heartwarming and hilarious movie teaches the meaning of loving oneself, making viewers emotionally resonate with its story. If you enjoyed the film and want to stream more movies like ‘Joy Ride,’ we have hand-picked the best options for you!

8. Rough Night (2017)

‘Rough Night’ (also known as ‘Girls’ Night Out’) is a black comedy film directed by Lucia Aniello and written by Aniello and Paul W. Downs. It stars Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell, Ilana Glazer, and Zoë Kravitz in lead roles. The movie follows four college friends, Jess, Alice, Frankie, and Blair, who reunite after years for a bachelorette party. However, their night of partying quickly takes a drastic turn when the male stripper they hired dies. Although ‘Rough Night’ lacks the road trip element in ‘Joy Ride,’ it is full of debauchery and captures the spirit of female friendships, making it similar to the latter movie.

7. Bad Trip (2021)

‘Bad Trip‘ is a comedy film directed by Kitao Sakurai, starring Eric André and Lil Rel Howery in the lead roles. It follows two lifelong friends, Chris Carey and Bud Malone, who embark on a road trip from Florida to New York City so Chris can profess his love for his high school crush. However, they are pursued by Bud’s criminal sister after stealing her car for their trip. The movie provides some ingenious moments of humor and is filmed in the hidden camera style, providing a fresh experience for viewers. Like ‘Joy Ride,’ the road trip movie provides its characters with plenty of self-introspection moments, but most are played for gags.

6. The Layover (2017)

‘The Layover’ is a sex comedy film directed by William H. Macy and written by David Hornsby and Lance Krall. It features the acting talents of Alexandra Daddario, Kate Upton, Matt Barr, and Matt L. Jones. The film revolves around Best friends Meg and Kate, who head out for a vacation to Fort Lauderdale. However, when the girls meet a handsome man on their flight, he quickly becomes the object of their affection, leading them to a feud. The film subverts the tropes of the road trip subgenre and is full of debauchery, making it spiritually similar to ‘Joy Ride.’ It also manages to entertain viewers with its sex jokes but lacks the depth and nuance of the character arcs in ‘Joy Ride.’

5. Fanboys (2009)

Directed by Kyle Newman, ‘Fanboys’ is a comedy movie starring Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, and Kristen Bell in the lead roles. Set in the late 1990s, the movie follows high school buddies Eric, Linus, Hutch, and Windows, who are lifelong fans of the ‘Star Wars’ movies. After learning that Linus is dying from cancer, the group formulates an audacious plan to steal a rough cut of the upcoming ‘Star Wars’ movie. The group’s road trip to the Skywalker Ranch is filled with hilarious and heartwarming moments that will remind viewers of ‘Joy Ride.’ However, the ludicrous central quest of the main characters often takes the story into some over-the-top territory, and viewers who enjoy these types of stories will be thoroughly entertained by the spirit of ‘Fanboys.’

4. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)

‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara‘ is an Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film directed by Zoya Akhtar. It features an ensemble cast of Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar, Katrina Kaif, and Kalki Koechlin. The film’s story follows three childhood friends, Arjun, Kabir, and Imran, who reunite for a three-week road trip across Spain for Kabir’s bachelor’s party. Like ‘Joy Ride,’ the movie remains extremely character-focused while also hitting all the right notes of a heartwarming and feel-good movie. It features some soulful music and a deep thematic message that will resonate with viewers long after the film leaves their screens. If you are looking to find a nuanced road trip movie, look no further than ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.’

3. Tiny Times (2013)

Written and directed by Guo Jingming, ‘Tiny Times’ is a Chinese comedy-drama movie based on Guo’s own best-selling novel of the same name. It revolves around four young women who start as high school classmates, become college roommates, and each other’s emotional support system during their early adulthood. The film deals with the four women’s struggles as they face professional obstacles in the high fashion world of Shanghai while tackling several personal issues. Unlike ‘Joy Ride,’ the movie’s plot isn’t driven by a road trip. However, it examines the interpersonal relationship between four female friends to a similar extent. Moreover, the backdrop of Shanghai and Chinese culture will also make fans of ‘Joy Ride’ appreciate the film’s take on female friendships.

2. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

‘Little Miss Sunshine’ is a tragicomedy road film directed by the husband-wife duo of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. It stars Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, and Alan Arkin in the main roles. The plot follows the Hoovers, a dysfunctional family taking the youngest, Olive, to compete in a child beauty pageant. However, the family’s differing opinions on the value of success create constant conflict and drama. The movie is arguably one of the best in the road trip subgenre and delivers a meaningful and thought-provoking exploration of its thematic premise. The critically acclaimed film also received the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award, making it a must-watch for cinema lovers.

1. Girls Trip (2017)

Directed by Malcolm D. Lee, ‘Girls Trip’ is a comedy film starring Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, and Jada Pinkett Smith in the lead roles. It follows four friends, Ryan, Sasha, Lisa, and Dina, who decide to attend the annual Essence Festival in New Orleans. As the group takes a road trip to New Orleans in order to reconnect, not all experiences on the road prove to be pleasant. Aside from sharing its basic premise with ‘Joy Ride’ and being a female-centric road trip film, ‘Girls Trip’ also explores some of the same themes as the former movie. Moreover, it draws from the African-American culture similarly to how ‘Joy Ride’ does with Asian-American culture, making both movies culturally resonant while being heartwarming and light-hearted comedies. For those reasons, ‘Girls Trip’ takes the top spot on this list!

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