Want to hear more from the actors and creators of your favorite shows and films? Subscribe to The Cinema Spot on YouTube for all of our upcoming interviews!
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Just nearly two years have passed since the release of Vacation Friends on Hulu. Its sequel has checked in to the streaming service, adding action and adventure to the genre categories alongside comedy. I got the opportunity to view the film early for myself, and there are some noteworthy improvements from its predecessor. Although, that is not without pointing out some flaws as well.
Vacation Friends 2 is written and directed by Clay Tarver.
In this review, I will discuss Clay Tarver’s action-adventure comedy, Vacation Friends 2. As the title of this article suggests, there will be no spoilers present here. Minor details will be sprinkled here and there, but nothing too huge. Please read ahead with caution!
Hulu’s Vacation Friends 2 Synopsis
According to Hulu Press, here is the synopsis for Vacation Friends 2.
Picking up a few months after the end of “Vacation Friends,” this hilarious sequel finds newly married couple Marcus (Lil Rel Howery) and Emily (Yvonne Orji) inviting their uninhibited besties Ron (John Cena) and Kyla (Meredith Hagner), who are also newly married and have a baby, to join them for a vacation when Marcus lands an all-expenses-paid trip to a Caribbean resort. His reason for traveling there in the first place is to meet with the owners of the resort to bid on a construction contract for a hotel they own in Chicago. But when Kyla’s incarcerated father Reese (Steve Buscemi) is released from San Quentin and shows up at the resort unannounced at the worst possible moment, things get out of control, upending Marcus’ best laid plans and turning the vacation friends’ perfect trip into total chaos.
Hulu Press
Discussion
Vacation Friends 2 runs two minutes more than the first Vacation Friends movie. Although, even with that much longer runtime, there is only so much story to tell. While casting directors Jeanne McCarthy and Nicole Abellera Hallman bring in a diverse roster of actors, there tends to be an imbalance in the multiple subplots that occur in Tarver’s film. Some subplots are fine as they are, yet when it comes to Emily Parker’s (Yvonne Orji) personal decision to or not to start a family, Maurillio’s (Carlos Santos) relationship status, and Reese Hackford’s (Steve Buscemi) presence on the island, I am not fully convinced or satisfied at the overall narrative being told.
Still, the writer-director excels at sprinkling in a few callbacks to the previous film. Kyla (Meredith Hagner) and Ron (John Cena) do not cause as many issues for the other couple — i.e. Emily and Marcus Parker (Lil Rel Howery) — as before. It isn’t necessarily that they have completely matured as adults; they still act like rowdy, wild teenagers in public and in private. Rather, viewers start to see a little more humanity within them as characters. Ron’s unique knowledge of birds and the narrative trope between in-laws are nice additions to the details that parallel that of the 2021 installment. The latter element juxtaposes interestingly with Marcus Parker’s relationship with his father-in-law. However, that might be another subplot that could have been beefed up a bit.
Production designer Martin Laing’s set pieces are good. The casino is a nice touch to the plot so as to not feel too generic by providing sufficient space to exhibit the story’s layers through the subplots. For example, in one room, a pair of characters are seen gambling. Meanwhile, another character is slamming shots of alcohol in what seems to be a VIP room. Elsewhere, a business deal is taking place. The only two locations that could use some enhancement were the surfing spot and a snorkeling spot. Perhaps it had to do with the version of the film that I watched, but it just did not fare well for me, visually speaking.
The Screenplay
Tarver’s screenplay is more intelligent and more hilarious this time around. His attention to minutiae is enough to warrant this a worthy sequel. (I initially did not believe that Vacation Friends needed an expansion to its little world of any sort.) The way he uses lanterns as symbols of happiness and good luck in Asian culture is the most meritworthy element the film has to offer. Characters fall into a downward spiral on yet another vacation, but how one major conflict is resolved is subtly foreshadowed in a well-written manner.
The narrative beats are pretty good, although it feels weird watching the tone pivot greatly around the one-hour mark. Like his two main male characters, Tarver pushes the limit of his story, but it looks as if it requires assistance. The cast and crew talent do all that they can, but that only goes so far. Watching the remainder of the story just appears rushed, especially given the limited screen time of one character and the even smaller appearance of another, whom the film set up to play a huge role but ultimately did not live up to my expectations.
A Lord of the Rings film is referenced at one point. I enjoyed that a lot, but it could have been drawn out a tad longer to prolong the tone of the scene. Nonetheless, it played out wonderfully. In terms of comedy, what takes the cake for me deals with a certain substance abuse problem that Ron and Kyla both have. I was utterly surprised at the specific event that happened, and my goodness, it stole the show for me!
The Cast of Vacation Friends 2
Lil Rel Howery (Get Out, Insecure, Good Boys, Free Guy) and Yvonne Orji (Insecure, The Blackening) portray married couple, Emily Parker and Marcus Parker, respectively. John Cena (Blockers, F9, The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker) and Meredith Hagner (Brightburn, Joy Ride) portray the titular “vacation friends”, Ron and Kyla, respectively.
Steve Buscemi portrays Reese Hackford, Kyla’s father. Carlos Santos (The Valet) portrays Maurillio, the two couples’ Mexico concierge-turned-babysitter.
Ronny Chieng (M3GAN, Shortcomings, History of the World: Part II, Joy Ride) plays Yeon, the senior vice president of the Kim Wae Hotel. Arnold Y. Kim plays Goe, an executive of the hotel.
Jamie Hector (The Wire, Heroes) portrays Warren, a Caribbean drug lord. Lovensky Jean-Baptiste plays Jerome, an acquaintance of Reese’s.
Julee Cerda appears as Mrs. Kim, the owner of Kim Wae Hotel. Hugh Moore and T. Love play Zeke and Fred, employees of Marcus’s construction business, respectively.
Kevin Yamada plays Minjin, an employee under Yeon and Goe. Olivia Grace Applegate (Love & Death) plays Veronika, a guest at the hotel.
The Crew of Vacation Friends 2
Vacation Friends is based on characters created by Tom Mullen, Tim Mullen, Clay Tarver, Jonathan Goldstein, and John Francis Daley.
Tim Suhrstedt (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, The Wedding Singer, Little Miss Sunshine, Always Be My Maybe, Silicon Valley) serves as the director of photography for the film. Tim Roche (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Silicon Valley, Hawkeye) is the film editor. Mark Mothersbaugh composes the soundtrack.
Jim Magdaleno (X-Men, Training Day, Rush Hour 3, Fast Five, Ant-Man, The Nice Guys, Babylon) is the storyboard artist.
Jeanne McCarthy (Con Air, Scary Movie 2, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Silicon Valley, The Half of It, Minx, History of the World: Part II) and Nicole Abellera Hallman (Silicon Valley, Sonic the Hedgehog, Do Revenge, Shortcomings, Minx) are the casting directors. Erica Johnson is the casting associate, while Missy Hauer is the casting assistant. Maxine Jung serves as the Korean translator.
Martin Laing (Terminator Salvation, Avatar, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows) serves as the production designer. Brana Rosenfeld is the set decorator.
Virginia Johnson (The Man from Toronto) is the costume designer. Kelsey Ettman is the assistant costume designer.
Performances and Character Developments
Considering this is a sequel, I appreciated the chemistry that Howery and Orji share as Marcus and Emily. What they have together here is more delightful than when they appeared alongside one another in HBO’s Insecure. In Vacation Friends 2, nothing goes wrong between the two per se; there is no falling out in their relationship, which is not a bad thing. With that said, I do notice that Howery offers more through his character, and it is quite evident. Emily’s role as a wife and a partner is the result of Tarver’s ability as a writer. She does have a moment where she displays some humanity, but exterior to that, the character is lacking.
Cena’s portrayal of Ron this time around feels healthy. Tarver paints him as charismatic, which has been the case since the first movie, but now, the character is challenged. Given the fact that Ron lost a close friend prior to initially meeting Marcus and Emily, Cena plays a human being who can solely be whole through the pleasing of others as well as the company of those around him. The actor is definitely pushing his own limits by proving that he is more than his characters in Blockers or in the DC Universe. In fact, I believe his efforts are slowly showing promise.
Steve Buscemi, the legendary figure that he is, portrays a new kind of character for someone such as himself. Reese Hackford possesses some wisdom about himself despite not being the most perfect parent. Like Maurillio, his path from one point in the film to another is so crooked that I was left confused by the end of it all. This could be attributed to his role, but it could also be due to Tarver’s focus on the main protagonists of the narrative. Conversely, I cannot imagine the character being played by any other actor.
Final Thoughts on Hulu’s Vacation Friends 2
Maybe with a longer runtime and more room for individual characters to find their proper footing, Vacation Friends 2 could be a film to be revered in the comedy genre. However, similar to, say, Prime Video’s Shotgun Wedding, Tarver’s narrative rhetorically cannot accomplish its goal of being appealing. The timing needs improvement, the characters require some more space to develop, and the emotional impact is seldom present.
Fortunately, the movie is not too bad, and in actuality, I found it to be above average at best. Is it better than 2021’s Vacation Friends? Absolutely, Cena and Hagner pour their souls into their characters in ways that add weight to the story. Unfortunately, Tarver introduces new supporting characters into the mix, and this is where the imbalance poses an issue, especially when committing to the three-act plot structure. There is room for a possible third installment, but that depends on how one character is further treated. Overall, Vacation Friends 2 is worth at least one or two watches because viewers deserve to be entertained.
3.5/5
Vacation Friends 2 is now streaming via Hulu!
Have you seen the film yet? If so, then what are your thoughts on it so far? Let us know! For more action, adventure, and comedy-related news and reviews, do not forget to follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
