Hulu | Release Date (Streaming): August 27, 2021
5.7
USER SCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 22 Ratings
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10
Negative:
4
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8
Stream2BigScreeSep 2, 2021
Last weekend, Hulu released an original comedy, Vacation Friends, starring John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji and Meredith Hagner. It is the story of a straight-laced couple on a vacation in Mexico that meets an uninhibited pair who takesLast weekend, Hulu released an original comedy, Vacation Friends, starring John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji and Meredith Hagner. It is the story of a straight-laced couple on a vacation in Mexico that meets an uninhibited pair who takes the former on a wild ride. At vacation's end, much to the the dismay and trepidation of the straight-laced couple their new friendship did not stay in Mexico. Essentially, like an odd-couple romantic comedy, you know how these mismatched pairs will come together in the end. The real joy about Vacation Friends has to be how we get to where we know we are going.

Lil Rel and Yvonne Orji play the couple, Marcus and Emily. Marcus is an by-the-book, owner of a construction company who has meticulously planned a Mexican getaway all for the purposes of proposing to Emily. Of course, his plans go wrong - what do you expect? Emily's most distinctive characteristic is that her upper class father does not approve of Marcus. Because of the necessary plot devices, Emily and Marcus encounter Ron and Kyla, played by John Cena and Meredith Hagner, who are reckless in every way possible. Emily and Marcus and Ron and Kyla would never be friends or even meet in real life, but on vacation with inhibitions gone, they bond and get into some crazy hijinks. I'll say Lil Rel, Yvonne, Meredith and Cena give their all to these characters. Meredith Hagner is a standout on her regular TV gig, "Search Party", and she likewise goes for broke here. John Cena is at his daffy, comedic best. It's all manic and scenery-chewing, but it works for this kind of comedy. While Cena and Hagner get the more outlandish characters, Lil Rel and Yvonne get to have nice chemistry and attempt to ground the film in some realness. If you enjoy these performances and the ensemble as a whole, then you should have no problem chuckling through this fast-paced comedy.

Well, Vacation Friends is a quick comedy that leans heavily on a well-worn plot. Since we know the plot, the film has to stand on the performances of it's cast; and they come through in spades. Vacation Friends is an easy watch that is fun to catch on these waning summer evening. Grab your box of popcorn and stream to your heart's content.

S2S: I just want to add to this review. I haven't wanted to re-watch a comedy in a few years. I absolutely can re-watch this movie and actually want to. That's saying a lot. The movie isn't perfect and in fact kind of annoying at parts but it just so enjoyable, crazy and funny. Definitely a big box of fresh popcorn.
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1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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8
HabibiehakimAug 30, 2021
Vacation Friends was a very pleasant surprise, the movie was entertaining, extremely funny, and very very enjoyable to watch, they might not have a top A list of acting, but they still do a really good job, the way they delivers the comedy isVacation Friends was a very pleasant surprise, the movie was entertaining, extremely funny, and very very enjoyable to watch, they might not have a top A list of acting, but they still do a really good job, the way they delivers the comedy is perfect, it just so hilariously funny, overall Vacation Friends is a very good time. Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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3
MetacriticOnurAug 28, 2021
bad
[ bad ]

adjective, worse, worst;(Slang) bad·der, bad·dest for 36.
not good in any manner or degree.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
RalfbergsDec 19, 2021
I liked it but the movie did use many cliche concepts. I mean not much new in it. It was fun and enjoyable to watch but nothing special.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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3
JLuis_001Sep 16, 2021
It'll work, yes, but that will depend on how much you're willing to dumb yourself down.

It's foolish to the point of obnoxiousness, and believe it or not, it feels outdated. It feels like a lost comedy from the 2000's, that was canned and
It'll work, yes, but that will depend on how much you're willing to dumb yourself down.

It's foolish to the point of obnoxiousness, and believe it or not, it feels outdated.
It feels like a lost comedy from the 2000's, that was canned and then the world forgot about it.
Maybe this is how it should have remained.
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3
kpaulAug 27, 2021
The story is the same fish out of water comedy plot we've seen 100 times. But the actor's chemistry, charisma, and pure joy of being able to over-actor in this over-the-top comedy makes this more charming than funny.

The filmmakers
The story is the same fish out of water comedy plot we've seen 100 times. But the actor's chemistry, charisma, and pure joy of being able to over-actor in this over-the-top comedy makes this more charming than funny.

The filmmakers continually ask us to stretch our suspension of disbelief beyond the point that we can't believe a person would make any of these unrealistic choices. Regardless, our actors hold the movie together enough to make this movie a watch for a boring night in.
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