SherryCola – Credits Rolling

In Netflix’s newest romantic comedy offering, Zara Ford (Joey King) works for movie superstar Chris Cole (Zac Efron) who is the worst boss ever. By a twist of fate, Chris strikes up a relationship with Zara’s mother Brooke (Nicole Kidman).

This is not the first time we’ve seen a relationship blossom between an older woman and a younger man. I liked how this time around the age factor wasn’t the focal point of the story. Instead the audience is invited into the worlds of these characters as they embark on a journey of self discovery. Of course some hijinks ensue. There are some laugh out loud moments and one in particular that had my husband reaching for the remote to rewind it and watch it again.

At the core is a heartfelt story about finding yourself and growing up. Sure Chris and Brooke form the central romance, but I really liked the depiction of the mother daughter relationship between Zara and Brooke and that of Brooke and her mother in law Leila (Kathy Bates). It really helped tie it all together for me.

The cast was what definitely made the film. King, although a bit whiny at times, was relatable as the lead. Efron proves he’s still a heartthrob and Kidman is as lovely and beautiful as ever. At first I didn’t buy their chemistry, but I have to say that it did eventually win me over. The fact that they got Bates for the grandmother was genius and we can’t leave out the supporting cast of Liza Koshy and Sherry Cola as Zara friends Eugenie and Stella.

Overall, A Family Affair may not add anything new to the genre, but it is a perfectly fine flick with something everyone can enjoy. Thanks to the star studded cast and the emotional material it left me feeling satisfied.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️

Audrey (Ashley Park) has always prided herself on being perfect. Growing up with adoptive parents, she never really felt like she belonged. When a business trip to China presents itself for Audrey to make partner at her law firm, she enlists her best friend Lolo (Sherry Cola) to come along for the ride. But the trip doesn’t turn out quite in the way Audrey expected and with Lolo’s cousin DeadEye (Sabrina Wu) and Kat (Stephanie Hsu), Audrey’s college friend turned soap star thrown into the mix, it will surely be an experience they will never forget.

The comedy in this was so over the top and the jokes so incredibly raunchy that I’m surprised I still enjoyed. It may not usually be my cup of tea, but the delivery given by the four girls was just so on point that I couldn’t not appreciate it. The K-Pop airport scene, specifically, is still replaying in my mind because of how outrageous it was.

Park, Cola, Wu and Hsu were magnetic every time they shared a scene together. Their chemistry worked so well and it seemed like they really had been friends for ages. Each brought something special to their character and thus the friend group as a whole, but the standouts for me were definitely Hsu and Park. Hard to believe that Hsu was just up for an Oscar nomination earlier this year while on the other hand, it was so nice to see Park leading the pack for once.

On the surface, this film seems like it’s going to be a straight forward enough. As it progresses, however, themes of found family and discovering who you are is at its core. I did not expect the adoption storyline to hit me so much in my feels though I guess it was to be expected considering I too was adopted. I related to Audrey so much it was scary.

Joy Ride was one of the most surprising films I have seen in a long time. It wasn’t afraid to go hard when it needed to, while also being real in other instances. I loved it way more than I thought I would!

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️