Spoiler alert !! With ‘Joyride’ the movie coming to cinemas this weekend here’s our thought on it
review by Thomas Maguire
Joyride is a fun and enjoyable story like you’ve never seen before. The storyline is rich in character portrayals with Mully, (played by the brilliant Charlie Reid in his acting debut) desperately trying to escape from his abusive father when he resorts to stealing a taxi. To his shock he discovers a woman, Joy, played by Oscar winning actress, Olivia Colman, along with her newborn baby in the backseat. The three set off on a journey to deliver Joy’s baby to her friend who is adopting her.
There are multiple emotional twists throughout the journey, some moments that brought a tear to my eye but also laughter and joy along the ride. The characters are extremely well written in a way that connects the audience to each characters own personal story. In my opinion, Charlie Reid’s portrayal of Mully was a performance beyond his years. Playing a teenager that is forced to be mature and strong in a difficult home life is sure to resonate with audiences both young and old. Joy on the other
hand, is probably the least mature out of the two despite her profession as a solicitor, but connects with Mully and offers guidance for his situation at home. It is like fate brought them together to guide each other in their time of need.
Visually the movie is stunning. Our beautiful county is represented in a wonderful way, showing off all of the stunning scenery Kerry has to offer. And what is particularly gorgeous about the visual representation is how colourful director, Emer Reynolds, made our incredible landmarks and country roads look. It is a pleasure to the eye to watch this movie.
On the very few downsides of this movie, one of them has to be the accents on display. Obviously, the actors did an incredible job in playing their roles, and whilst it didn’t take much away from the film, as a Kerry native watching a film based in Kerry, with reference to a place in Kerry in the script, it would’ve been nice to hear a couple of Kerry accents. It’s only a small thing and doesn’t take much from the outstanding production Joyride is.
The burning question, would I recommend Joyride for your trip to the cinema this weekend? I 110% would! The plot is a beautiful story that has you tearing up at the more emotional moment one minute to you bursting out in tears of laughter the next. I would definitely recommend anyone that is from Kerry, and especially Tralee, to go see the film and see if you can spot the many familiar locations scattered across the county within the film. I left the theatre with a smile on my face as the movie creates a good mood within the watcher and leaves you satisfied by the end.
