User reviews

A heartwarming and bittersweet tale of two unlikely travelers who find solace in each other while on the run from their pasts. 13-year-old Mully (Charlie Reid) and uptight solicitor Joy (Olivia Colman) set out on a journey across the Irish countryside, learning to cope with unplanned disruptions and unexpected challenges.

Reynolds' direction is strong, capturing the beauty of the Irish landscape through the lens of cinematographer James Mather. The film is visually stunning, with breathtaking shots of the seaside and foggy hills. However, some of the more surreal moments in the film feel out of place and throw off the tone of the story.

But where "Joyride" truly shines is in the performances of Reid and Colman. Mully and Joy are both grieving the loss of their mothers and struggling to find their place in the world. They form a bond that helps them cope with their pain and move forward, learning to rely on each other when other parental figures have failed them.

Overall, "Joyride" is a charming and emotional film that manages to balance its heavy themes with moments of levity and joy. While it may not be as smooth as some of the best feel-good movies, its unwieldy charm and powerful performances make for a memorable journey.

The plot is definitely messy at time's and it's probably a wee bit smultzy in places.

However it's a charming film with great acting.

Probably more a TV film than one for the cinema.

Definitely worth a watch though.

Saw the trailer for it & thought I'd give it a go. It was a bit slow at some points but overall, it was a good enough film. All Irish films have something about them that makes the likeable.

Emer Reynolds has produced a very successful director.

Olivia Coleman and Charlie Reid make a great duo team. Although it was Reid's first major project, he performed successfully in front of a great actress like Coleman. Ray Harman's compositions and Aibhe Keogan's scripts are very good. I love candid films that tell little stories like this. Everyone watches blockbuster movies now... Cinema has lost sincere films...

If there is a blu-ray edition, I will definitely buy it.

I hope movies like this continue to be made and the cinema doesn't give in to movies that make millions of dollars but don't have a soul.

An enjoyable romp through the ever picturesque Irish countryside. Olivia Colman is as engagingly watch-worthy as ever playing Joy, the mother of a one-week-old baby. Having never wanted children of her own, Joy intends to give the baby away to her sister in an informal adoption arrangement. We meet Joy asleep in a taxi en route to deliver the baby to her sister.

Charlie Reid is the breakout talent as Mully, a young teen bereaved by the recent death of his mother, and whose father is a petty thief and general low-level scumbag. Reid is an absolute scene stealer throughout this film - and a taxi stealer when we first encounter him. He commandeers the vehicle not realising it has two sleeping passengers in the back seat in the form of Joy and her baby.

Some hilarity ensues. And a bit of weirdness. With a little darkness and a touch of tragedy thrown in. All against a beautifully shot County Kerry backdrop.

Although this film was released on Netflix in summer 2024, watching it evoked a bit of a Netflix-Christmas-movie vibe for me. It was a little cheesy, totally unbelievable and surprisingly emotional in places but, overall, a very pleasant hour-and-half's escape from real life.

Colman does a 'grand job so' delivering her performance in a very decent Irish accent. And seeing comedian Tommy Tiernan pop up in an unexpected cameo to randomly play the Home and Away theme tune on a penny whistle was an absolute bonus.

I'm surprised by the harshness of some of the other reviews. Although there are some fairly big-hitting themes touched on throughout the story, the film doesn't get into them in any depth. Likewise, there are potential sub-plots and character back stories that are hinted at, but not really explored in detail. Perhaps that has left some viewers feeling frustrated or a bit short-changed.

Overall, a very easy and enjoyable watch if you're looking for a bit of light, diversionary entertainment.

A mediocre coming of age drama which shows the turmoil of unconventional family life through rural Ireland. Good acting from the leads, especially the scenes with Colman struggling to bond with her baby, but the story is told rather messily and the film is uneven, rushing initially and dragging in the final act. Some of the imagery is good, others is just plain weird and it's not particularly clear what story it wants to tell.

This is a wonderfully feelgood movie of exactly what you would expect from trailers and the synopses. The only letdown for me (and the whole of Ireland, she said sweepingly) would be that somebody did not just write a part of an expat, or young girl raied between two world (ime. Ireland and England) etc, whereby Olivia could have used a hybrid accent, etc, and allowed for the unfortunately painful fluctuations between her own English accent and attempted roughly three combined vrsions of Irish accents within most scenes Other than that, very enjoyable movie, good supporting cast and I would still recommend for anyone 👍

Joyride

Overall this was a mixed bag of a movie. On the one hand it attempted to be profound with comments on parenting, childhood baggage, what it means to be a mother and sometimes blood is not thick than water, and then attempted humour in a farcical vane.

The script struggled and showed little emotional intelligence, connecting with another human being does not a parent make. You could see the actors struggling with the often stilted script, which fell apart in the denouement.

To believe the contrived happy ending was absurd and I certainly wasn't convinced. The acting was at best pedestrian and at it worst performative.

This is barely watchable so I'm giving it a 4 outta 10, with Olivia not all that glitters comes in the shape of an Oscar statuette.

My Review- Joyride. . My Rating 9/10

Another impressive Irish film with yet another impressive and talented new actor 14 year old Charlie Reid from County Kildare .

I recently reviewed another recent movie An Irish Goodbye also mentioning it's teenage star Catherine Clinch another 14 year old as a future actor to watch out for .

I can say the same for Charlie Reid who plays Mully a bright young teenager who's father James played by Lochlann O'Mearáin is leading him down the wrong path. Young Mully's mother has recently died of cancer so he's at a very vulnerable point in his life where he could follow in his father's footsteps or go the right way." At a pub benefit to raise money for cancer in memory of his mother Mully can see his father wants to steal the money that's meant for charity so he steals it himself rather than let his Dad waste it .

He then steals a taxi rather with his father in pursuit and when he gets far enough away much to his surprise which is not a pleasant one finds that he has unwittingly kidnapped a drunken woman ,inappropriately named Joy plus her newborn baby .

Joy a Solicitor didn't want a baby ,didn't think she was still of childbearing age and doesn't even know who the father is ? The unnamed baby could have even been conceived on a drunken spree ,she wouldn't know .

Olivia Coleman plays Joy and delivers yet another superb performance her character roles just get better and better and she for me is right up there on my top ten list of contemporary Actresses in movies and television today .

I've watched her play Royalty, a serial killer, a mentally disturbed woman ,a socialite, a daughter caring for an ailing father, a wicked Godmother, Madam Thénardier in Les Miz a Detective and the list goes on , what next?

Her character is this film Joy is a solicitor who we first see in a drunken stupor asleep in the back of the stolen taxi with her unnamed baby which she is hoping to offload to her sister who lives miles away in Lanzarote , as she hasn't bonded with the baby at all .

This is where this joyful at times very humorous and very touching road trip begins with the 2 runaways Mully and Joy who at first seem such an unlikely pair but soon realise they have much in common as they negotiate the terms of their journey.

Young Mully has more maternal instinct in his little finger than Joy has in her whole body . Joy just want to move forward as she keeps telling Mully .

In a touching scene full of Irish charm Mully asks if the baby has a name ?

Joy doesn't reply then spies a robin which just happened to be a symbol for Mully's deceased mother.

Without knowing this Joy replies that the baby's name is Robin and we begin to see a thawing out of her character but not before arguments and insults on both sides . The chemistry between Olivia Coleman and young Charlie Reid is obvious from the beginning they must have really enjoyed working together.

Skilfully directed by Emer Reynolds from a screenplay by Ailbhe Keogan who also wrote the terrific television 2022 series Bad Sisters have created a very interesting and entertaining movie.

There were a few puzzling plot lines for me but I put that down to Irish blarney no fact checker required because this refreshingly is not based on any true events .

Beautifully Filmed in locations that include Tralee Kerry Airport and the beach at Ardfert in County Kerry Ireland Joyride for me was a joy to be sure to be sure to be sure ......

Hello everyone, I'm Mr. C Reviewer, tonight we are discussing the Movie Joyride. I watched it on Netflix. The Movie first aired July 29, 2022. It has a runtime of 1h 34 minutes. Joyride was rated 15. The Movie was directed by Emer Reynolds and was created by Ailbhe Keogan.

Summary: 12-year-old Mully grapples with the death of his mother while uncovering a shocking betrayal: his father is embezzling charity funds meant to honour her memory. In a desperate bid for freedom, Mully seizes the cash and hijacks a taxi, only to find Joy -a woman with a baby-already inside. Together, they embark on an exhilarating adventure across Ireland.

Review: -I found the storyline to be fairly decent, though it wasn't a film I had given much thought to before deciding to watch it. My knowledge about it was limited to just its release date. After viewing, I discovered that some aspects of the movie were quite engaging. However, I felt that the narrative was somewhat inconsistent, with an initial rush followed by a dragging final act. While there were moments that felt slow, overall, it was an enjoyable film.

I appreciated certain elements of the filming and editing techniques. The cinematography beautifully showcased the Irish landscape, featuring impressive close-ups, aerial shots, underwater scenes, and creative angles such as reflections in mirrors and circular camera movements around the actors. Although there were several dimly lit scenes, I feel that they were executed well enough for viewers to see everything necessary within the frame.

I appreciated that the film featured subtitles, allowing me to quickly grasp the dialogue in certain scenes. The inclusion of brief flashbacks effectively enriched the storytelling, providing insight into the characters' experiences. I also enjoyed how the narrative occasionally shifted to James, Mully's father, offering a glimpse into his perspective. The soundtrack complemented the visuals nicely, although it's not something I would revisit on its own. The performances were commendable; the actors convincingly conveyed their characters' emotions and motivations, making their actions feel authentic and well-explained.

-I appreciated the ending; I was pleased that it provided closure rather than leaving things open-ended. While we, as viewers, didn't fully witness their plans unfold, the conclusion felt satisfying and complete.

Dramatic, minimalistic, colorful. Slow moving with up and coming direction with Olivia Coleman's phenomenal acting. Also Charles Reid might be the best child actor I've ever seen. Very real life situations where some actually behave erratic under duress or indecisiveness. The shortcomings were covered, though not fully by superb acting of nearly all of the small cast which was sufficient for this production. Weaknesses were the plot(s) and clueless objectives. Also Olivia was a bit stereotyped for the role after her performance in The Lost Daughter. Cinematography could have been better especially given the countryside backdrop.

This was an okay movie to pass time with. Though, at some point made me ponder about life's passage of time and how one goes about life meeting new people, chasing goals, tryna heal etc.

I had concerns about some scenes though especially that of Mully working in the Hound. He wasn't of legal age but even if he was 16 which he wasn't, still don't think a teenager should kickstart work in the pub.

Why was it so easy to steal a car too and even steal yet another? Do car owners leave their cars unlocked with keys left in the ignition?

Loved the scenery of Mother Nature in its natural habitat - the woods, the lakes, the beach etc; so beautiful. But a head shot of Joy standing by the window of the public restroom imploring Mully to come forth seems odd. A full-wide angle shot could have worked better in that scene in my opinion.

Favorite scene: This for me where the few times when Joy breastfed the baby Robin. It was the most natural thing I have ever seen in any movie; so enthralling.

Felt really sorry for her when postpartum depression kicked in after they got off the Ferry. All her bottled up emotions skyrocketing in pieces. She knew she wasn't ok when she said: "Jesus, I am Mental!" But kept pushing on.

Imagine the number of women out there, nursing mothers; who bottle up their emotions on a daily basis and act like all is well. Postpartum depression is real and I have experienced it in others. I do wish women get all the psychological support they need in times like that.

The silence on both ends when Joy was speaking with mags on the phone was deafening. Loved it! They both knew even without words what the other had in mind. That was the next powerful scene after the breastfeeding of Robin. Impressive!

The masquerade festival didn't seat well with me; that scene could have still been successfully shot without the hideous masks and dancing.

Overall, the movie wasn't that captivating but still ok.

What did I learn from Joyride? Cars are easy to steal in the Irish Republic. Heck the police will not bother chasing you if you steal an ice cream van in plain sight.

Billed as a coming of age comedy drama and road movie. It fails as both.

Mully is a 13 year old lad whose mother has just died of cancer. Raising money for the hospice that cared for her. His dad ran off with the money from the collection jar at the pub as he is heavily in debt. He did not even wait to take the money home and steal it then.

Mully snatches the money back from his dad. Then makes off in a taxi to return the money. Only to find in the back seat is Joy (Olivia Colman) a solicitor and a new born baby.

Joy was going to give her baby away to someone else. Now she is in a car with a strange boy, too young to drive.

Obviously this bickering pair will eventually bond, especially as Mully is better at looking after the baby than Joy. Even Mully's dad will eventually catches up with them.

Not much originality, the film makes little sense. I found parts of it very odd and absurd. I did not believe in the story or the characters.

I watched this on my flight home from England, and I cried so many times just from being so emotionally invested. It was charming, raw, and endearing. It was a real testimony to how humans of any age need someone they can lean on and trust. That someone just supporting you can get you through. I found this to be a beautiful, heartfelt film. Olivia was AMAZING as always, and I wept watching her struggle to let her guard down and to let herself welcome love. I don't understand the low reviews, unless you just do not understand what the story was trying to portray. There was a wholesome juxtaposition of a young boy forced to care for himself and be tough, while deep down missing his loving mother..and a woman forced into motherhood, unsure that she has what it takes to give her baby the love and care she needs. I found it beautiful in how simple it was.

It's quite simply unwatchable, boring and nonsensical. The use of miserabilism in this kind of british/irish cinema is beyond annoying.

It's a low budget, low acting, low story, low everything kind of movie.

So, what is the story about? A menopausal mother who abandons a child she would have been extremely unlikely to have naturally, a rude criminal teen, and stuff happens in a stereotypical world made of all the stereotypes you can get from this type of movie.

It's a flop, probably was paid with taxpayer money, and for what? Who knows, but if you have any self esteem, don't subject yourself to this "production". If any of the participants was paid above the value of a pound, they should give it back.

Any movie with Olivia & Tommy should guarantee laughs!

Sadly, this is not one of them!

The BEST thing about this movie was the beautiful Wild Atlantic Way, of SW to NW Éire!

Stunning!!!

The movie was all over the place, literally!

I wanted to like this movie, but failed!

Young Mully is a find as an actor, but it was creepy hearing his conversations with Olivia about breastfeeding...he's 12!

I am struggling to review this movie in a positive way, and only continuing because it requires 600 words minimum!!

One reviewer said "Scotland" in their header!

If you don't know your geography!!!

I haven't watched it till the end. I just couldn't, too boring and I couldn't pay attention.

And the fact Joy was way too old to be a mother of a baby didn't help either. And the boy teaching her how to breastfeed the baby?!!

No, I can't give it more than one star even though in general I like Olivia Colman, she is a good actress. Nothing against her... but again, she looks too old to have a baby of her own.

So in my opinion this movie wasn't in any way interesting, it was quite boring, but yes, watchable.

I wouldn't recommend it though......... unless one really have nothing else to watch.

It's not the best movie I ever watched but I found it enjoyable and worthwhile ... And believable. Ms. Coleman is 49 and in the movie made reference to her age and she was surprised it happened. 60? That's pretty reaching dear other commenter.

Motherhood is scary and confusing and you want to run sometimes... Also with her childhood trauma. The young boy had some experience, so he helped her. Not ordinary, but I can see it. Ms. Coleman is a long time and seasoned, awarded actress. I think it's marvelous to see such as her in smaller, more everyday normal kind of movies. Hurray, it was enjoyable. "Believable" would be different for every one of us. Maybe less judgmental is a great idea. Good, good job.

It is probably a movie that embodies the real things of life. Many people have difficult fates. But sometimes all we need is love and understanding. Great acting! Olivia Colman and Charlie Ride play their roles very well. There is a symbiosis between them. You can see that Olivia gave a lot of herself for this role. She probably also helped Charlie express his role better. It's worth watching. This movie will make you laugh, cry, rejoice, hope, but also make you angry. This is a real drama for me. The plot is absolutely realistic. Otherwise, I'm always impressed by Olivia Colman! This woman can play anything!

I enjoyed the varied pace and well played characters. The young man was a convincing actor and his character, Mully, had a good heart. The conflicted Joy was performed truthfully by Olivia Coleman, although the accent slipped once or twice. She was only about 47 when she played Joy, an age when many women are still capable of conceiving a baby! The father was a little two dimensional, fixated on the acquisition of money, not being a loving parent, and seemingly not grieving his deceased wife. The story was filled with many of the contradictions and tribulations common in life. It was genuine to those dichotomies and still had a hopeful ending.