Vacation Friends debuted in 2021. Now, two years later, these unexpected pals reunite for another trip. But can they recapture the magic and mayhem from their first vacation?

What happens in Vacation Friends 2?

Vacation Friends 2 sees the newly married Marcus (Lil Rel Howery) and Emily (Yvonne Orji)  reunite with their vacation pals Ron (John Cena) and Kyla (Meredith Hagner). Marcus invites Ron and Kyla to join them on an all-expenses-paid trip to a Caribbean resort. But his choice of hotel isn’t random. He’s actually being put up by the resort owners, because he’s bidding on their construction contract later in the week. Marcus thinks he’s going to have another fun vacation with his wife and wild friends, then send Ron and Kyla home before he attends his important business meeting.

But of course, things don’t go according to plan. Marcus’ meeting moves up, and members of the resort group start trying to connect with him during his vacation time. Then, Kyla’s father Reese (Steve Buscemi), recently released from San Quentin prison, shows up unannounced. Marcus and Emily soon realize Reese’s involved in some shady business, but struggle to convince Kyla or Ron, who’s desperate to win his father-in-law’s approval.

As their simple trip spirals out of control, the vacation friends find themselves trying to win over the resort group through unconventional means (drinking contests), all while outwitting a crime ring who they’ve gotten on the wrong side of.

What works in the sequel

Cena’s Ron is definitely the standout in this sequel, and the character that carries over the best from the first film. If you enjoyed Ron’s eccentricities in the original Vacation Friends, you’ve got more coming your way in this movie. Cena does a great job bringing Ron to life. You really buy into his strangely specific knowledge base and weirder moments; but at the same time, he also makes you feel invested in Ron’s more emotional side. Sure, he may get wild and take jokes too far, but he also really cares about the people around him.

Buscemi’s addition as Kyla’s dad is also a good choice. Since Marcus and Emily now align themselves with Ron and Kyla, the film needed a new character to shake things up and create conflict for our vacation friends. Making the character in question Kyla’s father lends itself well to re-creating a similar type of conflict that the first Vacation Friends had; Marcus and Emily have to walk on eggshells a bit when pointing out Reese’s flaws and bad plans because they don’t want to upset Kyla.

Too many ideas, too few successes

Vacation Friends 2 feels like a few potentially fun stories cobbled together, to the detriment of all of them. First, we set up that Marcus’ vacation is also a bit of a work trip. When his meeting gets moved up, he has to contend with his serious professional life meeting his wacky vacation friends. Then, the appearance of Kyla’s dad brings a whole new story, tangling everyone up in more of an action-comedy where they have to outwit the local crime boss.

There’s also multiple subplots involving babies; Maurillio (Carlos Santos) has been invited on the trip solely to babysit Ron and Kyla’s son, while Emily and Marcus discuss their plans to conceive. Neither really contribute to the laughs or the plot in a meaningful way. While it’s a nice nod to the first Vacation Friends to bring back Maurillio, he stays separate from the main characters and story for 90% of the film. Similarly, it feels like the bit about Marcus and Emily thinking about parenthood falls flat, like it wanted to add more realistic emotional stakes to the story, but feels so separate from everything else it never quite sticks.

The charm of the original Vacation Friends came from its wacky, outlandish characters and their unique way of weaseling into your heart. In Vacation Friends 2, it feels like everything that appealed about the original gets watered down. The laughs, the characters, the emotions… nothing quite hits the same. Like those friends you meet on vacation, some things are special because they’re fleeting. A second attempt just makes you miss the first even more.

Vacation Friends 2 is now streaming on Hulu.