It’s never a pleasant experience to encounter a small independent film, excited about the prospect of discovering a new gem, only to walk away disappointed. Regardless of how much I tried to give Joyride the benefit of the doubt, nothing came about that felt like it could be justification for this film’s existence. The feature-length narrative debut of director Emer Reynolds (who has had quite a fruitful career as an editor, as well as having made a few very impactful documentaries on a range of subjects), the film feels like one missed opportunity after the other, formed into what appears to be a coherent story, but lacking any real motivation or structure, and instead feeling like a collection of off-cuts from better films that tackle similar subjects, cobbled together into an unfortunately listless and deeply conventional attempt at a heartwarming drama, but ends up being a convoluted and often quite unconvincing series of moments that don’t work either in isolation or conjunction with others. In essence, Joyride is the kind of film that feels like it has potential. Still, it squanders nearly all of it by failing to find the right approach, which is, unfortunately, something that happens when working from a relatively opaque and unremarkable screenplay, where the story itself isn’t even strong enough to hold our attention for a brief moment. It’s harsh to say that a film is doing less than the bare minimum, but Joyride just fails to deliver on any of its promises, being as flaccid and lifeless as a film like this can get, which is unfortunate considering that there is a very good film hidden under these layers of mediocrity, but it doesn’t have the resources (or even interest) to pursue them, choosing to be the most surface-level example of a dramatic comedy imaginable, which is where the film fumbles the most.

From the outset, we can easily discern that the biggest flaw that existed at the heart of this film was that it was quite simply far too conventional. There is certainly nothing inherently wrong with this kind of approach, granted you have something to say – and unfortunately, Joyride not only didn’t have a clear idea of what it was aiming to convey but consistently fumbled the process of telling this story, frequently botching what should have been a very easy and simple subject to construct a film around. The dynamic of a single mother and a rambunctious young boy who joins her on a cross-country trip as a result of a chance encounter is one that had a lot of good potential, but which is just not realized anywhere in this film, which seems to be only interested in throwing screenwriter Ailbhe Keogan’s script onto the screen without any care for directorial nuance or artistic integrity. A film being predictable is not a concern as long as there is some attempt to at least do something differently as far as it could – and there is not a single moment in Joyride that feels like anything new is being said. This is a film made out of scenes that could have been plucked from any other film that covers this same material, which not only indicates how this was constructed from an amateur perspective (being a novice is never an excuse – some of the greatest works of literature and art have been produced early in their creators’ lives, and ambition is never something that needs to be learned) and executed without any real care or attention to detail, making it a rather unlikeable experience – any film that has layman viewers actively thinking of the different directions they would have taken the story is certainly not ideal, but Joyride seems to be far too invested in just telling this story without any real sense of urgency to pay attention.

There is just enough absurdity at the heart of Joyride to keep us engaged – the problem is, absolutely none of this seemed intentional. The flaws that keep this film from being effective or even vaguely compelling go beyond the simplicity of the story, and instead become a matter of trying to understand why this specific execution was chosen for a story that could have been so much more impactful had it taken a more nuanced approach. It often feels like the film is operating from a position of not having even the slightest knowledge of how real people act – except the main character, everyone who appears in this film is playing a one-dimensional character, seemingly formed by tossing as many taut cliches as possible into a word processor and then filming the results verbatim. It also doesn’t help that this film is governed by a very strange tone – it never knows if it wants to be a comedy or a drama, and while these are not mutually exclusive by any means, most instances of blending them manage to draw on both to some degree, even if it isn’t balanced. There haven’t been comedies this unfunny, or dramas this unmoving, in quite a while – and the fact that it does try allows us to give the film the benefit of the doubt for the most part, but after one scene of overwrought, unnecessarily sentimental emotion after another, our patience begins to erode, and we’re left with nothing but frustration and outright concern for this film and the people who made it, since it feels like a truly misguided work that doesn’t contribute anything of value – it may be harsh, but even the smallest films aren’t immune to such criticisms, and the veneer of being independent productions or directorial debuts is never enough to justify outright inadequacy.

Considering the extent to which this film is a character-based drama, one would assume they would at least be the strongest point of the film. Unfortunately, Joyride once again falters in an area that is hopelessly easy to get right by choosing to create a series of characters, both the main protagonists and all of those on the periphery, and give none of them even the slightest amount of nuance. Charlie Reid is the young actor who plays the character who sets the film in motion – and while I try and show a bit more empathy for younger actors (especially those who are new to the industry), this performance is just inexcusably bad – whether its an issue with the choices he makes as an actor, or the way the character was written, the entire film feels like an exercise in patience, waiting for this supposedly endearing hero to have even a single moment where we feel compassion for his plight or any interest in the story that surrounds him. Keogan seems to have quite a bit of trouble writing this character, not knowing how to construct the role of an adolescent boy going through the challenges she sets out for him – and the result is an overly precocious child who is gratingly wise beyond his years, in a way that is inauthentic and quite bewildering. Olivia Colman needs no introduction, or any justification for her status as one of our greatest actors – but watching her performance in Joyride, one has to wonder whether she took on this role as a personal favour to the filmmakers (since it certainly wasn’t a case of wanting an easy paycheque), and not only is she wildly inappropriate for the role, she just doesn’t do anything valuable. Considering she is someone who has used her recent success to be more selective with her roles, the fact that she agreed to play this part is truly baffling.

Mediocrity abounds in Joyride, which is not something said with any pleasure or even the vaguest sense of joyfulness. Considering the size of this film, and how it clearly has the best intentions, criticizing it too heavily for these flaws seems inappropriate – but objectively, Joyride is the kind of lacklustre comedy that the industry grinds out several times a year, where the story lacks meaning and the execution doesn’t have even an iota of complexity, leading to a relatively unconvincing experience that may not be unpleasant, but certainly doesn’t fill us with the happiness that we’d expect from its premise, nor does it stir any particularly strong or engaging emotions. It’s a strange brew of overwrought emotions, poor writing and hysterical performances by actors who seem to be given characters that were fueled by the most unfortunate stereotypes imaginable, written by someone who seemingly has never spoken to anyone who even vaguely resembles the people around who this story is constructed. As a whole, Joyride is not a particularly good film, but it is harmless and (most importantly) mercifully short, never overstaying its welcome. It’s not a good film, but it is inoffensive and has a few scattered moments of charm. This is enough to make it a relatively serviceable film if one is in seek of heavy-handed comedies that are more concerned with stirring emotions than actually making the viewer laugh – but in every other way in terms of both story and execution, Joyride is certainly not nearly as exciting as its adrenaline-fueled title may suggest.