Is ‘Joy Ride’ based on a true story? What to know about the hilarious (and raunchy) new movie

A new raunchy but heartfelt R-rated comedy called "Joy Ride" hits theaters on July 7 and it's already making waves.

The film — penned by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, Teresa Hsiao and Adele Lim, who also directed — features four Chinese-American friends who travel to their ancestral homeland and chaos ensues.

The story centers on Audrey, played by "Emily in Paris" star Ashley Park, as an adopted, uptight lawyer trying to close a deal with a Chinese company.

Her childhood best friend, the artistic Lolo, played by comedian Sherry Cola, decides to join her for the trip to help translate and brings along her eccentric cousin, Deadeye, portrayed by Sabrina Wu. Once in China, the three meet up with Audrey's college roommate, Kat, played by "Everything Everywhere All At Once" star Stephanie Hsu.

The epic journey is filled with twists, turns and wild debauchery but it ultimately lands — without giving away any spoilers — on a heartfelt moment with each of the characters learning something about themselves and to value their friendships.

Why is ‘Joy Ride’ rated R?

“Joy Ride” is rated R for strong and crude sexual content, language throughout, drug content and brief graphic nudity, according to the Classification and Ratings Administration. That means anyone under 17 needs to see the movie with a parent or adult guardian.

Is the film based on a true story?

Writer/director Lim tells TODAY.com that the story of Audrey, Lolo, Kat and Deadeye was loosely inspired by her own friends.

She says all her friends did in their 20s was "hang out, go out partying and tell stories about our messy dating lives."

“Our friends are nasty — thirsty, ridiculous friends," she says, laughing. "And we thought, 'You know what, we are professional writers. Let’s put this all in a movie and create the kind of movie that we wish we had in our 20s.' And that’s exactly what we set out to do.”

She noted that they drew inspiration from the R-rated comedies of the past — specifically citing "Bridesmaids" and "The Hangover" — "where you have a group of friends having this insane once-in-a-lifetime adventure."

Should you watch this film sober?

The cast said at a South By Southwest event (where the film premiered) that it's best to watch drunk. When pressed by TODAY.com to clarify, Cola laughs.

"When we said you should be a little drunk when you watch this film, what we meant is that you should have a good time," she says. "This is a movie you have to watch with friends. Get rowdy in the theater."

Hsu tells TODAY.com that she's watched it a few times with audiences and the cast is always surprised by how "wild" it gets.

"It feels really effervescent in the room after and I just want people to go to the theaters, have fun, scream, like, have a beverage, you know, just have a really good time and then get to experience it with your friends," she says. "You know, it feels like it’s we’re kind of long overdue for something like that."

What 'Joy Ride' means to the Asian American community

Feeling "long overdue" for a classic comedy starring Asian American leads was a message that all four of the cast members and Lim echoed in their interviews.

Lim notes that Park, Cola, Wu and Hsu had never been listed as No. 1 on a call sheet before. (A call sheet is a daily filming schedule created by the assistant director on a movie.)

“It really was a moment every day when we showed up on set. It was a celebration where they felt like this was something special and that we were going to make the most of it,” Lim says.

Cola says the entire experience was a "dream come true."

"We still can’t believe it. Even sitting here (doing interviews), we keep just pinching ourselves," she says, noting that the entire experience was "so special and rare."

"I don’t take it lightly. I know this is gonna make an impact and I really hope people respond to it (by) feeling inspired to tell their own stories," Cola says.

She adds that she hopes people will walk away from the film and feel a certain kinship with each character the way audiences identified with characters in "Sex and the City."

Park says that normally for this type of film, all four of the actors starring in it would have gone in for one of the roles: the Asian friend or sidekick.

But instead, Lim says, the film stars four very "distinct and so different" Asian characters reconnecting with "who you really are" and their "inner freak."

Park also sat down for an interview with TODAY's Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb in a segment that aired on July 7.

Without giving too much away, Park’s character Audrey arguably has the biggest character arc in the film. At the end, she seems to feel more at peace with her identity as an Asian American adoptee.

"It’s a powerful message as well: friendship and finding your identity and yourself," Park told Jenna and Hoda.

She added that while the film is comedic, it "makes you laugh and cry."

Does an Asian American comedy mean we're at a turning point?

Instead of sticking to the tried-and-true stereotypes of Asians and Asian Americans, "Joy Ride" stars four very distinct friends who do not fit into any of the usual tropes on the big screen.

But does that mean times are changing? Director Lim says the answer is complicated.

"There’s no one point where we fix representation or racism. We felt that with ‘Joy Luck Club’ — thinking that this was going to change the landscape for everybody," she says. "We still had systemic issues that weren’t allowing for stories to be told."

But this time around, Lim thinks things will be different.

"I do feel we're at a different point. We have so many amazing writers, directors, actors out there, dying to tell our story.

"And it’s about ... making sure those stories have an opportunity to see light of day because it is never going to be one point. It is going to be about 1000 points — constantly pushing to make sure that our story continues to be told."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com