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Picture
A newly engaged couple befriends a wildly eccentric couple in Mexico,
​and all hell breaks loose when the couple shows up at their wedding.
COMEDY

Vacation Friends (2021)

Directed by Clay Tarver

Written by Tom Mullen, Tim Mullen, Clay Tarver,
​Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley

Starring Lil Rel Howery, John Cena, Yvonne Orji, Meredith Hagner, Robert Wisdom, Lynn Whitfield, Andrew Bachelor, Denise Burse

Connor Eyzaguirre
August 29, 2021
8/10
Hulu has really knocked it out of the park with some of the comedies they've scooped up in the past few years. Little Monsters, Palm Springs, and now Vacation Friends have all been critically acclaimed, with this film being not only hilarious but also relatable. The whole concept of "vacation friends" is something we all recognize and think about, but has never been expressed in film like this before. The couple you meet on vacation and hang out with, but never talk to again after the trip. What if those people were John Cena and Meredith Hagner? Really nice, but also completely insane and oblivious.

Lil Rel Howery and Yvonne Orji are Marcus and Emily, who came to Mexico to decompress. Marcus proposes to Emily, and Ron (Cena) and Kyla (Hagner) overhear and freak out with happiness. The four of them end up spending the trip together, and bond through weird shaman shit that keeps coming back up. But when Marcus and Emily go home and have their wedding, their vacation friends show up uninvited and looking for a good time. Things get awkward really fast when Marcus thinks he might have gotten Kyla pregnant in Mexico during a really weird, drunken night. All four of them are funny as hell together, and I love that John Cena has gone all-in on comedy.

Vacation Friends is one of the funniest films of the year, thanks mostly to the chemistry among the four leads. I do think the ending is a little abrupt, but the rest of the film is so damn funny that it really doesn't bother me that much.
Caleb Leger
August 29, 2021
8/10
John Cena has really come into his own recently in his film career. Much like another extremely well-known wrestler turned actor, Cena has become a charming, likable presence whenever he’s onscreen. Cutting his teeth early in a string of action films (for obvious reasons), he really broke out once he got a part in the comedy Trainwreck. Showing off his comedic chops proved to be an instant win as audiences quickly fell in love and he’s been running with it since. Beside him is Lil Rel Howery, who has become quite the comedic talent thanks to the monster success of Get Out. These two alone could explain why their latest, Vacation Friends, feels like a refreshing change of pace in the streaming crowd. Instead of another tired film to dump on a streamer, we get a pretty funny and enjoyable comedy thanks to its talents alone.  
 
As I just mentioned, Cena and Howery are the comedy highlights here. Individually, they have proven they know how to make audiences laugh. Cena with his great comedic timing and Howery with being as over the top as possible. Luckily, these two work great together. Both share a natural chemistry and play off each other extremely well. The rest of the supporting cast isn’t to be written off, though. There are several great jokes sprinkled throughout utilizing the supporting characters. But the one thing which really surprised me about this film was its heart. Some of the best comedies work because beneath the humor and sometimes crass jokes is a theme the audience can relate. In this case, the idea of who your friends are, having fun, and taking advantage of your life while you can. Just have to pay attention when you’re not laughing at all the shenanigans to see it.  
 
It’s refreshing when something released to streamers is actually good. Instead of what is clearly something for the studio to dump and make a quick buck on. Thanks to the chemistry of Cena and Howery, and a very game cast, Vacation Friends is one of the funnier films of the year. And one filled with a decent amount of heart.  

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Filmgazm is made by movie lovers for movie lovers. We believe in the magic of film and we aim celebrate films of all genres and throughout cinema history, regardless of who's behind the camera or who financed it. We at Filmgazm believe that every film deserves to be reviewed on its own merits and that's what we are here to do. Enjoy the show!
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