Sequels are a dangerous business often motivated by money. The follow up to Vacation Friends is no exception, as it brings Ron (John Cena), Kyla (Meredith Hagner), Marcus (Lil Rey Howery) and Emily (Yvonne Orji) back together in the Caribbean for a couples’ reunion. Proving in the process that one film about four people on vacation was enough for everyone. However, Disney clearly had other ideas and roped in acting legend Steve Buscemi, to intimidate Ron as Kyla’s father Reese.
Like every unwanted sequel ever made, Vacation Friends mark 2 is littered with pointless distractions that fail to make things better. Ron and Kyla are still kind-hearted party animals with cast iron constitutions, but this time they have a child in tow. Not that this seems to matter, since the baby is constantly cared for by Maurillio (Carlos Santos), allowing plot rather than parental responsibility to come first.
Elsewhere, Lil Rey Howery has no chance of making Marcus into anything other than an observer to the carnage, as events escalate around him. Yvonne Orji faces similar problems, since Emily does little more than react. A problem which gains momentum as more obstacles are placed in their path, involving laundered money, gun totting drug lords and lying relatives. A tactic which quickly sees this sequel drift into tried and tested water, as writer director Clay Tarver goes over old ground trying to create some comedy.
By building friction between Ron and Reese, this follow-up tries to match Meet the Parents for invention but ultimately falls short of Ben Stiller’s benchmark. The main problem with their relationship is screentime, since John Cena and Steve Buscemi rarely get any moments to bond. Stuck with a script that barely takes any risks but attempts to please everyone, both actors are left with nothing to do except look miserable.
Many of these films, including Vacation Friends 2, pack every moment of screentime with needless distractions. So much so, that they often lose touch with the little things, as simple character moments get lost amongst the chaos. In this case it means that much of the natural charisma which made John Cena a household name gets watered down, in favour of a fabricated threat in a disjointed third act that amounts to nothing.
Drug peddling war lord Warren (Jamie Hector) is the most obvious example of where Vacation Friends 2 has lost its way, as his presence dilutes any comedy down to zero. Lacking the charisma of Isaach De Bankole, who portrayed gun runner Steven Banno in Casino Royale, Warren is nothing more than a glorified plot device. One that makes a minimal impact on a movie which desperately tries to tie off any lose ends in its last ten minutes.
Actor Ronny Yieng suffers a similar fate as vice president Yeon, who flies into the Caribbean resort and surprises Marcus early on. Resentful of the American who is daring to pitch for a construction contract on their latest project, Yeon never grows beyond a cultural stereotype. He represents the same obstacle which Ron faces with Reese, except this friendship ensures financial security not a family truce.
Those issues aside, this sequel never really matches the original in concept or execution, throwing everything but the kitchen sink at a finale that feels convenient. John Cena may have been an exceptional Peacemaker in the standalone series and Suicide Squad reboot, but really needs to think twice before going on vacation again.
Vacation Friends 2 is available to stream on Disney+ now.
