Vacation Friends

Vacation Friends
Starring John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji, Meredith Hagner
Directed by Clay Tarver

It's very difficult for me to really enjoy a comedy movie, and that's because they typically follow the same generic formulaic system, especially of the R-rated raunchy variety: mismatched people who initially get on each others' nerves only continue to amp up the annoyances through episodic moments where nothing really develops until one final moment where our hapless "normies" finally have it and give their supposed counterparts the what for, and then realize that they were wrong due to seeing the crazy wrapping paper and not realizing the sentimentality inside. "Vacation Friends" is just such a film - one that is just a cookie cutter of other R-rated raunchy comedies that've come before it, and unfortunately for them, actually did it better.

Marcus (Lil Rel Howery) is the owner of a construction company and has a schedule for everything, including proposing to his longtime girlfriend Emily (Yvonne Orji) at a five-star resort in Mexico that he has pre-planned way before departing the States. He is by the book, and doesn't like when his delicately laid plans get upended, which of course happens over and over again. Emily, meanwhile, remains steadfast in her love for Marcus despite her wealthy father's misgivings due to Marcus's "blue collar" state.

When his previous proposal plan goes array and their room is accidentally destroyed, fun-loving couple Ron (John Cena) and Kyla (Meredith Hagner) take in the couple after Marcus improvises his engagement in the hotel's lobby. Marcus is at first wary of Ron and Kyla's extreme lifestyle, but as the couples spend more time together, they begin to become closer friends, but when it's time to head back home, Marcus in particular is ready to leave their friendship in the rear-view. Seven months after arriving back home, Marcus and Emily are planning their upcoming nuptials when Ron and Kyla arrive unannounced with news that could threaten the upcoming marriage.

"Vacation Friends" follows the traditional R-rated raunchy comedy formula like a seasoned scientist, meandering its way through episodic moments between the four mismatched friends in ways that were supposed to incite belly laughs, but instead provided grown-inducing eye-rolls. Whether it's a drug-induced fox hunt, gambling golf game, women's spa day, or the rehearsal dinner, each moment is filled with the generic back-and-forth between the stern and the free-spirited, with very little character development to be had.

It all comes to a head at the rehearsal dinner when the eventual blow-up occurs, and Marcus and Emily think that they've done the right thing before they realize how much heart Ron and Kyla gave to their friendship despite their offbeat exteriors, and learn that they indeed did the wrong thing - much like the wrong thing in making this snooze-fest in the first place.

The talents of the actors are wasted in the sense that everyone is incredibly one-note. John Cena does well in comedy, and his natural aloofness helps him to be more endearing than enraging, but here he amps his performance up to an eleven and never comes down. While it could be funny for a moment or two, maintaining that same sense of chaotic energy throughout is exhausting to watch. Lil Rel Howery's Marcus is the opposite end of the coin, a man who lives a structured, quiet life and who constantly come to blows with Cena's Ron. Of course the odd couple motif has been in existence for decades, but sometimes it just doesn't pan out. Howery comes out more annoying than anything, and not even a hallucinogenic mushroom trip can make him funny. Yvonne Orji and Meredith Hagner have very little to work with apart from being the love interests of Marcus and Ron, as Orji's Emily internally struggles with having her family accept Marcus and Hagner's Kyla is all sweetness and free love, while not really giving anything else. A comedy film rises or falls on its script and how well the actors perform, and here the script is so generic that not even over-the-top performances can make you care.

Following the traditional formula of pretty much every R-rated raunchy comedy that came before, "Vacation Friends" is bogged down by lame episodic moments and an obvious conclusion that will have you wishing you can take a vacation from watching this boring snooze-fest.

The Score: D-