Movie critic Bruce Miller says “Vacation Friends” goes off the rails at all the right times. This isn’t the movie of the summer, but it’s a fun getaway just before Labor Day.
After serving as back-up to any number of stars, Lil Rel Howery and John Cena get a chance to step into the spotlight and, surprisingly, earn the attention. The two could be a viable screen team.
Their vehicle is “Vacation Friends,” a raunchy (no, really raunchy) comedy about opposites meeting at a posh resort.
Howery’s Marcus is there to propose to his girlfriend, Emily (Yvonne Orji). A stickler for details, he wants nothing to derail his plan. Sure enough, when they get there, water damage has left the hotel without a place for the soon-to-be-weds. The minute they overhear the details, the loud folks upstairs (Cena and Meredith Hagner) invite them to stay in their presidential suite. Spontaneous? Cena’s Ron and Hagner’s Kyla are practically unleashed.
They get the others to jump off real and metaphorical cliffs. Instead of waiting to wed, Marcus and Emily tie the knot on a whim and extract a “what happens on vacation stays on vacation” vow.
Then, seven months later the formal affair happens. Who shows up? You got it.
The antics go to another level.
Director Clay Tarver lets Cena reveal his inner Rodney Dangerfield. He stops at nothing (shooting bottles off heads, for example), giving “Vacation Friends” a reckless feeling that never seems forced. Hagner is right there with him, playing on her new friends’ emotions.
At the wedding, they have the potential to ruin everything – and that makes Marcus and Emily very nervous, particularly since their behavior wasn’t exactly parent-approved.
“Vacation Friends” uses elements found in plenty of films like this (a fox hunt before the wedding? Of course) and finds a way for Ron and Emily’s dad to bond. There are pushy brothers, a pair of missing rings and a big, big surprise that prompts the stuffy in-laws to let down their guard.
Like “Caddyshack” decades ago, “Vacation Friends” doesn’t seem like a film that would last more than it takes to watch. But if you focus on Howery and Cena, you realize they’re much better actors than you imagined.
Howery, in particular, has skills that will register beyond this. He doesn’t overreach (like Kevin Hart) but he does land laughs.
When he’s goaded into situations (by the fearless Cena), he’s a bigger comedic find than Tiffany Haddish.
“Vacation Friends” isn’t as consistent as “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (the gold standard), but it’s a good side trip.
Put it on your date night list – and don’t take the kids. Yup, it is that raunchy.
