Vacation Friends 2 Review: John Cena Rekindles Ensemble's Magic in Formulaic Sequel

The getaway mates are back for another adventure. Vacation Friends 2 brings the unexpected couple companions of Marcus (Lil Rel Howery) and Emily (Yvonne Orji) alongside Ron (John Cena) and Kyla (Meredith Hagner) together once again, but this time, the two pairings of newlyweds kick things off on the same page. Marcus and Emily are familiar with Ron and Kyla's chaotic energy going into their second vacation together, but nothing can prepare them for the insanity that ensues when Kyla's father, Reese (Steve Buscemi), enters the equation. While Buscemi's Reese is ultimately a hindrance both in storyline and in terms of comedic chemistry, Vacation Friends 2 delivers flashes of the charm that made the first installment special.

Like its predecessor, Vacation Friends 2's biggest strength lies in its ensemble. The core four of Howery, Cena, Orji, and Hagner all bring their own unique flavor of charisma that allows them to stand out on their own while also giving them the unique ability to be compatible with their costars. Each of the aforementioned leading stars has their own individual standout moment, but more importantly, each has at least one memorable scene with one another. Landing a comedic ensemble with this much chemistry across the board is extremely rare, and it does not go unnoticed in the Vacation Friends franchise.

Hats off to Cena especially, as he continues to make himself unrecognizable from his WWE persona. When the former full-time wrestler first broke into Hollywood, most saw him as the "You Can't See Me" man first and the characters he was portraying second. The haircut and stubble helps, but he is completely bought into his role of Ron, allowing for a more immersive experience in a fairly absurd comedy.

The same cannot be said for franchise newcomer Steve Buscemi. Buscemi is type-cast as the slimy, absent father of Hagner's Kyla, Reese. This is a role Buscemi has played multiple times before and he fails to make this particular version of the smarmy parent unique. Consequently, his performance sticks out in a bad way when he's playing off of the very well-gelled main ensemble. That said, the character of Reese is a scream-at-the-television level of detestable, which means Buscemi did evoke the right emotions.

As is the case with any sequel, the first question about Vacation Friends 2 will be about how it stacks up to the original. While it is a fun summer watch, Vacation Friends 2 has significantly fewer laughs than the first installment. It should be emphasized that much of that is due to Vacation Friends having a high bar. In a modern film scene that is noticeably lacking strong, original, R-rated comedies, Vacation Friends delivered one of the better laugh-out-loud first acts in recent memory. Some of that is attributed to the newness of these characters and the uncertainty surrounding their personas. For that reason, Vacation Friends 2 starts at a loss, as audiences are already familiar with Marcus, Ron, and the full crew.

While some of that first-time specialness is missing in this sequel, there is enough magic within Vacation Friends 2 to warrant more. Vacation Friends represents Cena finding something that his wrestler-turned-actor counterpart Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has yet to perfect: ownership over an original franchise. Both Cena and Johnson have been part of some of the biggest blockbuster properties in Hollywood history (Fast & Furious and the DCEU especially), but the "Brahma Bull" has yet to have that one, original franchise role that defines his career. With many looking at wrestlers-turned-actors finding that elusive part in action films, Cena may have discovered it in a comedy. The jury is still out on how much Vacation Friends will stand out among Cena's entire catalog, but as it stands right now, it is the one true original franchise that he can claim ownership over.

Vacation Friends 2 does not reinvent the wheel, but it is still a worthwhile summertime experience. While classic comedy plot points and character tropes are abundant throughout, there is something special about watching an established actor like Cena come even further into his own. Beyond the standing ovation praise for Big Match John, the remaining corners of Vacation Friends' core four deserve their flowers for capturing that rare comedic chemistry across the board. A step down from the predecessor, yes, but Vacation Friends 2 will leave audiences wanting more from this blossoming comedy franchise.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Vacation Friends 2 begins streaming on Hulu on Friday, August 25th.