Directed by Clay Tarver — Screenplay by Clay Tarver.
Two years ago, Vacation Friends was released on Hulu, Disney+, or one of the other international Disney-owned streaming services. It boasted a relatively strong main cast, and it was a solid and charming enough comedy flick that I enjoyed much more than I expected to. Back then, I found that John Cena’s excitable comedic energy elevated what was essentially a passable but definitely enjoyable streaming comedy. Parts of that first film felt disposable, but there was enough good there for me to remember the so-so original comedy fondly. Now, two years later, Clay Tarver and 20th Century Studios have gotten the original cast back together for a direct sequel hoping to recapture that same magic. Tarver doesn’t fully succeed, even though there are moments here that do work (and some that work better on paper than as it has been carried out on screen).
In Clay Tarver’s Vacation Friends 2, which takes place some years after the events of the first film, Marcus (played by Lil Rel Howery) and Emily (played by Yvonne Orji) have invited their excitable and foul-mouthed holiday pals and drinking buddies Ron (played by John Cena) and Kyla (played by Meredith Hagner) — who are now parents to a toddler, who is constantly babysat by Carlos Santos’ Maurilio — to a vacation in the Caribbean. Marcus secretly only wants to go so that he can take part in an important business meeting. However, when the business meeting is suddenly pushed up, he has to try to land the construction deal that he so desires with his chaotic friends in tow, including Kyla’s father, Reese (played by Steve Buscemi), who stops by unannounced after getting out of prison. Ron, who has never met Reese before, now also has to be on his best behavior to impress his father-in-law, who isn’t necessarily all that impressed by the happy-go-lucky park ranger, Ron.
If you’ve seen the first film, then you already know the exact formula that its sequel tries to follow closely. Like in the first film, Marcus and Emily have one plan for their vacation, but then the unpredictability of their vacation friends threatens to sabotage it, leading Marcus to try to keep up appearances and people-please. That is exactly what happens here as well, but since Marcus and Emily now know what to expect from Ron and Kyla, writer-director Clay Tarver has added someone new to spice things up. That person, as mentioned, is Steve Buscemi. On paper, this makes a lot of sense. Buscemi is a really solid comedic actor who should pair well with the core cast here, and it does make sense for Ron to now be put in a position where he needs to try to win over someone as well, just like Marcus must.
In execution, it doesn’t work as smoothly though. I think this is partly because Buscemi tones the antics and exaggeration of John Cena’s great comedic performance in the first film down in the sequel. Cena simply isn’t as energetic here, and since his and Hagner’s performances were what made that first film memorable that is now a problem. I’ll add that, like in the first film, the film is a tale of two halves with the first half being the most fun, and the second half not working quite as well. This time around, the faults of the second half lie with the way Tarver’s film tries to up the ante by making it an action comedy. But the action isn’t funny, the criminal subplot that takes center stage in the second half isn’t funny or engaging, and I just don’t think it is very exciting to eventually see both Cena and Howery’s characters be upset about Buscemi’s character being the way he is.
Howery’s character is exactly the same person he was at the end of the first film, but, with Cena somewhat toned down, his loud anxiety doesn’t come off as being as chuckle-worthy as it was in the first film. Frankly, that goes for the whole film. It just isn’t as funny as the first one. The film bets on you as an audience member really enjoying the characters of the first film, which I did, but it isn’t enough to make the largely unfunny Vacation Friends 2 anything more than a clear step down from the relatively enjoyable first film. That said, I do like the four central characters, so I would be open to seeing a third film in a few years’ time — just make sure to make it funnier next time. I feel like these films should try to be more focused on the idea that sometimes you need more outgoing friends in your life — yes-men, you might say — to inspire you to take the right chances and open up, because in the sequel that is almost entirely drowned out by the Buscemi subplot.
5.5 out of 10
– Review Written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 