SBG 119: Joy Ride

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Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that wants you to take your polycule on a trip around Gaysia. This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out to talk about why Adele Lim’s 2023 comedy Joy Ride Should’ve Been Gay. 

For those of you unfamiliar with the film, Joy Ride opens with main characters Audrey and Lolo becoming best friends forever in the absolute cutest meet-cute we have ever seen. Audrey’s parents adopted her from China and they are overjoyed when Lolo’s family moves to their small extremely white town because they want their daughter to have a friend she fits in with. Lolo immediately becomes Audrey’s biggest defender and supporter, knocking out playground bullies and telling off racist kids at their school.

When the movie fast forwards to adulthood Lolo and Audrey are as close as ever, so close that they literally live together. When Audrey has to go to China to close a business deal, Lolo offers to come along as an interpreter. Once in China they link up with Lolo’s cousin Deadeye, a heavily online K-Pop stan, and Kat, an accomplished actress who happens to be Audrey’s old college roommate. When Audrey’s first attempt to close the business deal is a huge flop, she is given one chance to fix it. She has to bring her birth mother to a party at the end of the week to do damage control. The only problem is, Audrey has very limited information on how to track down her birth mother. The four friends take off to find the agency that facilitated Audrey’s adoption and the adventure quickly turns to total drug-fueled chaos. 

The potential for a romantic relationship between Lolo and Audrey is obvious from the moment they meet as children on the playground. However, there is equally enough chemistry to go around with Kat. Audrey has clearly been enamored with Kat since their college acapella days and if Lolo’s obsession with Kat’s vagina tattoo is any indication, she is absolutely interested in her too. They may start off as frenemies, but there is something else brewing just under the surface. Lolo is actually canonically bisexual, but the movie only mentions it once in passing and to our dismay does not spend any time exploring it. Our polycule could not be complete without Deadeye who we read as a nonbinary, neurodivergent gray-ace. Deadeye can literally beatbox. What straight person does that?

We know one thing for sure, Joy Ride Should’ve Been Gay. 

Follow us on Twitter: (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay questions at the end of every episode. You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and Instagram (@lezhangoutpod). Find us individually on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida). 

Time is running out to join Ellie and Leigh in Costa Rica this May for a queer wellness retreat. Don’t let future-you suffer from fomo! Book a spot by January 30th at bit.ly/lezdocostarica and treat yourself to a once in a lifetime experience, new friendships, and some much deserved relaxation in a beautiful National Park. 

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