Vacation Friends
Vacation Friends is a 2021 American buddy comedy film directed by Clay Tarver in his feature directorial debut.[1] The film stars Lil Rel Howery and Yvonne Orji as the uptight couple Marcus and Emily, who form an unlikely friendship with the free-spirited partiers Ron (John Cena) and Kyla (Meredith Hagner) while vacationing at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico.[2][3] What starts as a week of uninhibited fun and self-discovery spirals into awkward chaos when Ron and Kyla crash Marcus and Emily's wedding back in the United States.[4] The screenplay was written by Tarver, Tom Mullen, and Tim Mullen from a story by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, drawing on themes of contrasting personalities and the clash between vacation escapism and real-life responsibilities.[2] Produced by 20th Century Studios and Broken Road Productions, Vacation Friends premiered simultaneously in select theaters and on streaming service Hulu on August 27, 2021.[5] Critics gave Vacation Friends mixed reviews, praising its energetic cast and lighthearted escapism but critiquing its formulaic plot and uneven pacing; it holds a 58% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 77 reviews, with an average score of 5.6/10, and a Metacritic score of 49 out of 100 based on 16 critics.[3][6] The movie's success on Hulu led to the development of a sequel, Vacation Friends 2, which was released exclusively on the platform on August 25, 2023, reuniting the original cast for another round of wedding-related mayhem.[7]Synopsis
Plot
Marcus and Emily, a straight-laced couple, arrive at a luxurious resort in Mexico for a romantic vacation, where Marcus intends to propose marriage. Their plans go awry when their suite floods due to an overflowing jacuzzi from the presidential suite above, occupied by the boisterous Ron and Kyla. After Marcus proposes in the lobby and Emily accepts, Ron and Kyla, overhearing the mishap, invite the couple to share their spacious accommodations as a gesture of goodwill. Initially hesitant due to their contrasting lifestyles—Marcus and Emily's reserved demeanor versus Ron and Kyla's uninhibited, thrill-seeking nature—the pair reluctantly agrees and soon finds themselves drawn into a whirlwind of adventures, including spiked margaritas laced with cocaine, a chaotic boat outing that ends in a crash, and cliff-jumping excursions.[8][9] As the vacation progresses, the group's bond deepens amid escalating debauchery. Ron arranges a spontaneous traditional Mayan ceremony that legally marries Marcus and Emily, much to their surprise. That night, under the influence of psychedelic mushrooms, Marcus hallucinates a threesome involving Emily and Kyla, though in reality, Emily and Kyla share an intimate moment with a dazed Marcus serving as a mere prop, leaving him guilt-ridden the next morning. Overwhelmed by the chaos and fearing the influence of their new friends, Marcus and Emily hastily depart Mexico, blocking Ron and Kyla's contact information and vowing to forget the trip. This decision highlights the central conflict: the uptight couple's desire for stability clashing with the free-spirited duo's embrace of spontaneity, forcing Marcus and Emily to confront their rigid boundaries.[8][9] Seven months later, Marcus and Emily prepare for their formal wedding in the United States, surrounded by Emily's conservative family, including her stern father, Harold. The event is disrupted when Ron and Kyla uninvitedly crash the rehearsal dinner, announcing Kyla's pregnancy and charming most guests with their exuberance—except for the increasingly exasperated Marcus. Tensions escalate when Ron, in a misguided attempt to bond, pawns the heirloom wedding rings (including Harold's ancestral set) to fund bets in a golf game with Emily's brother and his friend, leading Marcus to ingest a psychedelic mushroom and suffer vivid delusions. The rings are later wagered and seemingly won back during a golf game, but they slip into a sewer grate, heightening Marcus's stress. At the pre-wedding party, a false pregnancy scare unfolds as Marcus confesses his hallucinatory encounter, fearing he fathered Kyla's child; however, Ron reveals fertility treatments inspired by the Mexico trip confirmed the baby as his own, while Emily admits the truth of her night with Kyla. This revelation sparks a physical brawl among the men, culminating in Marcus rejecting Ron and Kyla outright.[8][10] On the wedding day, reconciliations begin as Harold, after learning the full context of Marcus's past divorce from his construction crew, accepts him as family. Emily's grandmother, Phyllis, who was healed by a folk remedy provided by Kyla, delivers a heartfelt apology from the absent friends. Ron and Kyla then arrive with the retrieved rings, pulled from the sewer, prompting Marcus and Emily to reflect on their friendship's value. The couple apologizes, inviting Ron to serve as best man, and the ceremony proceeds smoothly. In a gesture of mutual commitment, Marcus and Emily agree to attend Ron and Kyla's vow renewal. Months later, following the birth of Ron and Kyla's son—named after Marcus—the two couples reunite in Mexico for a joint Mayan remarriage ceremony, attended by both families, symbolizing their enduring bond and the theme of embracing unexpected friendships and life's unpredictability.[8][9]Cast
Vacation Friends features a principal cast led by Lil Rel Howery as Marcus, a strait-laced and responsible accountant who prefers structure in his life.[3] Yvonne Orji portrays Emily, Marcus's fiancée and a driven lawyer who shares his preference for order and professionalism.[3] John Cena plays Ron, a boisterous ex-Marine known for his thrill-seeking and carefree attitude.[2] Meredith Hagner stars as Kyla, Ron's free-spirited partner who embodies a wild and uninhibited lifestyle.[2] In supporting roles, Robert Wisdom appears as Harold, Emily's authoritative father with a no-nonsense demeanor.[11] Lynn Whitfield plays Suzanne, Emily's elegant and opinionated mother.[11] Andrew Bachelor (known as King Bach) is cast as Gabe, Emily's laid-back brother.[11] Additional supporting actors include Tawny Newsome as Brooke, Emily's sister,[12] and other resort staff providing comic relief.[11]Production
Development
In March 2014, 20th Century Fox acquired the spec script written by brothers Tom Mullen and Tim Mullen in a near seven-figure deal, with Chris Pratt and Anna Faris—then a real-life couple—attached to star as the partying duo, and Steve Pink in early talks to direct.[13] By November 2015, the project underwent a casting revamp, with Ice Cube signing on to replace Pratt as the lead in the conservative couple, while Faris was no longer attached.[14] Development stalled further until December 2019, when the film saw a full recast with John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, and Meredith Hagner set to star, and Clay Tarver—known for his work as an executive producer on HBO's Silicon Valley—attached to make his feature directorial debut, replacing Pink.[15] Tarver also joined the writing team alongside the Mullens, with additional contributions from Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley to refine the screenplay's focus on mismatched friendships.[16] Producers Todd Garner and Timothy M. Bourne oversaw the project, which shifted from theatrical release to Hulu amid industry changes.[16] Pre-production advanced in early 2020, with Yvonne Orji added to the cast in January to play opposite Howery.[17] Additional supporting roles, including Lynn Whitfield, were filled by September 2020, finalizing the ensemble ahead of principal photography.[18]Filming
Principal photography for Vacation Friends began in March 2020, with initial shooting taking place in Puerto Rico to represent the Mexico resort setting of the story.[19] The production captured the first 35 minutes of the film there, including scenes at El Conquistador, a Waldorf Astoria Resort in Fajardo, as well as locations in Las Croabas, Punta Santiago, and Rio Grande.[20][19] However, filming was halted on March 16, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, pausing the project for nearly six months.[19] Production resumed in September 2020 in metro Atlanta, Georgia, and surrounding areas, where additional scenes—including the wedding sequence—were shot to stand in for both resort and urban environments.[20][19] The shoot wrapped on October 28, 2020, adhering to industry-standard COVID-19 safety protocols that had become mandatory for film productions by that time, such as testing and masking requirements.[19] On-set challenges included physical demands, like actor Lil Rel Howery being thrown from a horse during a Puerto Rico scene, which required preparatory "horse classes," and a chaotic final night of filming in the territory marked by cobblestone streets and improvised energy among the cast.[21] Director Clay Tarver, drawing from his improv background, encouraged the actors to personalize their characters, leading to significant improvisational elements in the comedy scenes that leveraged the cast's stand-up comedy skills.[21] Cinematographer Tim Suhrstedt handled the visual capture, emphasizing the vibrant resort aesthetics and dynamic action.[11] In post-production, editor Evan Henke assembled the footage to maintain the film's raucous pace, while composer Rolfe Kent created the score to underscore the buddy comedy's humorous tone.[11][22]Release
Dates and platforms
Vacation Friends was distributed by 20th Century Studios, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company.[23] The film premiered exclusively on the streaming service Hulu in the United States on August 27, 2021, as a Hulu Original with no theatrical release.[24] Internationally, it rolled out on Disney+ as a Star Original in select markets on the same date, August 27, 2021, including Canada, the United Kingdom, and India via Disney+ Hotstar.[25][26][27] In Latin America, the movie launched as a title on the newly introduced Star+ streaming service on August 31, 2021.[25] It became available in additional territories on Disney+ starting September 3, 2021.[28] The production runs for 103 minutes and was formatted specifically for streaming platforms.[3]| Region/Territory | Platform | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Hulu | August 27, 2021 |
| Canada | Disney+ (Star) | August 27, 2021 |
| United Kingdom | Disney+ (Star) | August 27, 2021 |
| India | Disney+ Hotstar | August 27, 2021 |
| Latin America | Star+ | August 31, 2021 |
| Other territories | Disney+ | September 3, 2021 |