Jump to content

Vacation Friends

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Chowsonjan (talk | contribs) at 02:08, 28 August 2021 (→Plot summary: Added detailed plot summary). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Vacation Friends
Promotional release poster
Directed byClay Tarver
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyTim Suhrstedt
Edited byEvan Henke
Music byRolfe Kent
Production
companies
Distributed byHulu
Release date
  • August 27, 2021 (2021-08-27)[1]
Running time
103 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Vacation Friends is a 2021 American buddy comedy film directed by Clay Tarver, who co-wrote the screenplay with Tom Mullen, Tim Mullen, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley.[2] It stars John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji, Meredith Hagner, Robert Wisdom, Lynn Whitfield, and Andrew Bachelor.

Vacation Friends was released on Hulu on August 27, 2021.[1]

Plot summary

Marcus and Emily are a mild-mannered couple from Chicago on a week-long vacation in Mexico. Marcus intends to propose to Emily, but his romantic plan is ruined when their room is flooded by a leaking Jacuzzi from the presidential suite above. While trying to book another room, a hotel employee accidentally reveals Marcus's plan. Marcus reluctantly proposes to Emily in the hotel lobby, who accepts. After watching their proposal, Ron and Kyla, who are staying in the presidential suite, invite Marcus and Emily to stay with them for the week. Ron and Kyla are wild and spontaneous; they reveal that they have spent their life savings on a luxurious vacation, including a suite, large amounts of alcohol and drugs, and a rented boat.

The four spend their vacation together, with Ron and Kyla encouraging Marcus and Emily to live life carefree, culminating in Marcus and Emily eloping in a traditional Mayan ceremony. Both black out due to excessive drinking, but Marcus briefly regains consciousness during what appears to be Kyla having sex with him. The next day, Emily remembers nothing from the night before, and Marcus agrees. At the airport, they run into Ron and Kyla, who proclaim that the four are now part of each other's lives. Marcus privately disagrees, saying that while Ron and Kyla were fun to spend a vacation with, they are too erratic to have a genuine friendship with.

Months later, Marcus and Emily attend their official wedding in Atlanta, hosted by Emily's wealthy parents, Harold and Suzanne. The two - especially Harold - do not approve of Marcus, partly because of an incident where Marcus punched Emily's brother Gabe at a party. Initially claiming the wedding will be intimate, preventing Marcus from inviting his friends and coworkers, they in fact host a large event at an expensive hotel. Harold entrusts Marcus with the rings for the wedding, which belonged to Emily's great-grandparents. At a gathering the night before the wedding, Ron and Kyla dramatically appear, driving a truck through a gate. They tell Marcus and Emily that after not hearing from them after the vacation, they discovered the location of their wedding online and decided to travel there. Harold is initially furious at the intrusion, but after discovering that Ron and Harold are both former Green Berets, the two strike up a friendship, and Ron and Kyla quickly charm members of Emily's family. Harold arranges for the two to stay in the presidential suite at the hotel.

Kyla reveals that she is pregnant, and the two say that Marcus is 'directly involved' in the pregnancy, leading him to believe that he may be the baby's father. The next day, while on a ceremonial 'fox hunt', Marcus unwittingly eats a hallucinogenic mushroom given to him by Ron. Ron eats one in order to comfort Marcus, and the two wander high through the forest together. The two believe they have spotted a fox, who attacks Marcus, but it is revealed to be one of Harold's dogs. After the hunting party arrives, Ron speaks to Harold on Marcus's behalf, disguising their drugged state and convincing him to give Marcus a second chance. A grateful Marcus selects Ron to be his best man over Gabe. Ron convinces Marcus to entrust him with the rings.

The next day, the men go golfing, where Ron and Marcus play in a foursome with Gabe and his friend Bennet. To Marcus's chagrin, Ron suggests they bet on the game, which Gabe agrees to. Halfway through the round, with Marcus and Ron losing every hole, Ron reveals that he bankrolled the wagers by pawning the wedding rings. On the final hole, Ron makes a massive bet - including double Marcus and Ron's losses as well as Bennet's Ferrari - that he can hit the 18th green in a single stroke. Despite Ron initially looking at the wrong green, forcing him to make a 375-yard shot to win the bet, he miraculously sinks a hole in one to win the bet. After returning to the pawn shop to retrieve the rings, Ron accidentally causes Marcus to drop the rings in a sewer grate. Marcus chokes Ron in anger, who reveals that he was told by a doctor that he was sterile and reiterates that Kyla got pregnant 'because of Marcus'.

At the rehearsal dinner, Marcus's friends arrive, having been invited by Ron. Ron and Kyla make a speech, where it appears that Kyla is going to announce that Marcus is the father of her child. Marcus interrupts, sharing the full story of what he believes happened in Mexico, only for Kyla to reveal that they simply intended to name the baby after Marcus, and he is not the father. In fact, it was Emily and Kyla who had sex. Marcus reveals to an angry Harold that the rings were lost, and a fight ensues between Emily's family and Marcus's friends. After Emily discovers that Kyla has been giving her grandmother Phyllis homeopathic pills, Marcus and Emily angrily reject Ron and Kyla, demanding they leave.

The next morning, Marcus's coworkers reveal that they made amends with Harold. After learning that Marcus paid his employees' wages during the recession, Harold comes to respect him both as a businessman and as a person. Marcus realizes that Ron indirectly caused the reconciliation to happen. Meanwhile, Phyllis delivers Emily a wedding gift from Kyla. The letter inside reveals that Ron lost his previous best friend Charlie, and that his relationship with Marcus has helped him recover. The gift is the wedding rings, which Ron retrieved from the sewer. Emily and Marcus realize they made a mistake by sending Kyla and Ron away, eventually finding them at a Waffle House and convincing them to return to the wedding. Ron and Kyla reveal that they are planning to finally marry, holding the same ceremony in Mexico where Marcus and Emily married, along with Marcus and Emily's family and friends.

Cast

Production

In March 2014, it was announced Chris Pratt and Anna Faris were set to star in the film, with Steve Pink set to direct from a screenplay by Tom and Tim Mullen, and 20th Century Fox distributing.[5] In November 2015, it was announced Ice Cube had signed on to replace Pratt, with Faris no longer attached.[6] In December 2019, it was announced John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, and Meredith Hagner would star in the film instead, with Clay Tarver replacing Pink, 20th Century Studios attached to produce, and Hulu set to distribute.[7] In January 2020, Yvonne Orji joined the cast of the film.[8] In March 2020, Tawny Newsome and Barry Rothbart were added as well,[9] and in September 2020, Lynn Whitfield, Robert Wisdom and Kamal Bolden also signed on to co-star.[10]

Principal photography began in Georgia in March 2020.[11] However, production was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] Production resumed in September 2020,[13] and concluded in October 2020.[14]

Release

The film was released on Hulu on August 27, 2021 in the United States,[1] and on the Star content hub of Disney+. It will release as a launch title on Star+ on August 31st in Latin America.[15] Disney+ Hotstar released the film in India on August 27,[16] and in select territories on September 3, 2021.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c Kenigsberg, Ben (2021-05-28). "Summer Movies 2021: Here's What's Coming to the Big (and Small) Screen". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  2. ^ "Vacation Friends". Writers Guild of America West. March 5, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  3. ^ Lovitt, Maggie (July 21, 2021). "First 'Vacation Friends' Red Band Trailer Shows How Wild John Cena Can Get".
  4. ^ "Movie - The Forty-Year-Old Version". local.aarp.org. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  5. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 25, 2014). "Fox Acquires 'Vacation Friends,' Pairing Chris Pratt And Anna Faris". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  6. ^ Busch, Anita (November 3, 2015). "Ice Cube Attached To Star In 'Vacation Friends' At Fox In Casting Revamp". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  7. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (December 3, 2019). "John Cena, Meredith Hagner, Lil Rel Howery To Star In 'Vacation Friends' Comedy From 20th Century Fox & Hulu". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  8. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (January 15, 2020). "'Insecure's Yvonne Orji Joins John Cena & Lil Rel Howery In 'Vacation Friends' Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  9. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (March 13, 2020). "Sean Patrick Flanery & More Star In 'Assault On VA-33'; Cleopatra Acquires 'Skin Walker'; Tawny Newsome, Barry Rothbart Join 'Vacation Friends'- Film Briefs". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  10. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (September 25, 2020). "'Vacation Friends': 'Greenleaf' Star Lynn Whitfield & More Cast In Hulu Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  11. ^ Ho, Rodney (June 1, 2020). "What is filming in Georgia in March? 39 projects including two Bruce Willis movies and comedy with John Cena". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  12. ^ Dennis, Ryan (March 16, 2020). "What's NOT filming in Georgia because of coronavirus". WXIA-TV. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  13. ^ Road Productions, Broken (September 11, 2020). "Six months to the day and we're finally back together! Let's finish this sucker! @johncena @comedianlilrel @cbtarver". Instagram. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  14. ^ Road Productions, Broken (October 28, 2020). "And that's a wrap on Vacation Friends. I am so blessed to get to make movies and am feeling especially grateful to have been allowed to finish this very funny movie during these challenging times. I truly love this cast and crew and when I think back on this movie, it will be to this moment when we knew we were going to shut down, but soldiered on in spite of it! Thank you so much @cbtarver @comedianlilrel @johncena @yvonneorji @merediththeweasel and all our cast and crew! You are all rock stars!". Instagram. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  15. ^ "Vacation Friends: John Cena & Lil Rel Howery Comedy to Debut in August". ComingSoon.net. 2021-06-15. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  16. ^ Naik, Kshiteej (2021-07-30). "Cruella, Spin, Vacation Friends, More Coming to Disney Plus Hotstar in August 2021". IGN India. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  17. ^ Disney+ MY [@DisneyPlusMY] (July 22, 2021). "There are friends... and then there are 𝙫𝙖𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨. Catch the new trailer for #VacationFriends starring John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji and Meredith Hagner. Streaming 3 September only on #DisneyPlusHotstarMY!" (Tweet). Retrieved July 22, 2021 – via Twitter.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Vacation_Friends&oldid=1041017445"