#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “VACATION FRIENDS 2”

The trailer, poster and stills for 20th Century Studios’ hilarious sequel “Vacation Friends 2” are now available. The film reunites “Vacation Friends” writer-director Clay Tarver and stars John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji and Meredith Hagner with new co-stars Carlos Santos, Ronny Chieng, Jamie Hector and Steve Buscemi. Produced by Todd Garner and Stuart Besser, “Vacation Friends 2” debuts August 25, 2023 exclusively as an Original on Disney+ in Canada.

Picking up a few months after the end of “Vacation Friends,” this uproarious sequel finds newly married couple Marcus (Howery) and Emily (Orji) inviting their uninhibited besties Ron (Cena) and Kyla (Hagner), who are also newly married and have a baby, to join them for a vacation when Marcus lands an all-expenses-paid trip to a Caribbean resort. His reason for traveling there in the first place is to meet with the owners of the resort to bid on a construction contract for a hotel they own in Chicago. But when Kyla’s incarcerated father Reese (Buscemi) is released from San Quentin and shows up at the resort unannounced at the worst possible moment, things get out of control, upending Marcus’ best laid plans and turning the vacation friends’ perfect trip into total chaos.

#FIRSTLOOK: “VACATION FRIENDS 2” COMING TO DISNEY+

The fun continues this Summer with “Vacation Friends 2,” 20th Century Studios’ laugh-out-loud sequel to the 2021 hit comedy “Vacation Friends,” set to debut August 25, 2023 exclusively on Disney+ in Canada. Director Clay Tarver and stars John Cena, Lili Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji and Meredith Hagner all return for the follow-up, along with new co-stars Carlos Santos, Ronny Chieng, Jamie Hector and Steve Buscemi. The producers are Todd Garner and Stuart Besser.

Picking up a few months after the end of “Vacation Friends,” this uproarious sequel finds newly married couple Marcus (Howery) and Emily (Orji) inviting their uninhibited besties Ron (Cena) and Kyla (Hagner), who are also newly married and have a baby, to join them for a vacation when Marcus lands an all-expenses-paid trip to a Caribbean resort. His reason for traveling there in the first place is to meet with the owners of the resort to bid on a construction contract for a hotel they own in Chicago. But when Kyla’s incarcerated father Reese (Buscemi) is released from San Quentin and shows up at the resort unannounced at the worst possible moment, things get out of control, upending Marcus’ best laid plans and turning the vacation friends’ perfect trip into total chaos.

#FIRSTLOOK: WHAT TO WATCH SEPTEMBER 2021 – “NINE PERFECT STRANGERS”, “ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING”, “VACATION FRIENDS”, “CODA”

It’s hard to believe Summer’s almost over, so now’s your chance to get away on an escape before it’s too late. Some new releases for you to check-out including some soulful journeys, wild escapes and whodunnits!

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING (DISNEY+)

Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez team-up on darkly-comedic Mystery series ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING. The Series, consisting of eight episodes, streams on Disney+ in Canada. Neighbours Charles (Martin) is an Actor of former glory, while Oliver (Short) is a Director and Mabel (Gomez), is a bit of a mystery how she can afford to live in their upscale building. After a death occurs in their building, the trio get into some antics trying to take matters into their own hands, sneaking into the victim’s apartment for clues. Wild on paper they might be an odd mix, the three complement each other well and there’s something for everyone here. Stars Nathan Lane and Sting also appear on this pager-turner of a Series, which is a quick watch. The first three episodes arrive August 31, 2021, with new episodes arriving weekly on Tuesdays.

NINE PERFECT STRANGERS (AMAZON PRIME VIDEO)

Based on Liane Moriarty‘s best-selling Novel, NINE PERFECT STRANGERS brings together an eclectic group of characters who unite at a wellness resort. At the center of it all is crude Russian founder Masha (Nicole Kidman) who is just as mysterious as the rest of the guests, who all uncover secrets about themselves in their stay over eight episodes. Jonathan Levine directs the Series which also stars Melissa McCarthy as Frances, a successful Writer dealing with her own personal issues; Luke Evans as Lars, a man with a hidden agenda; Melvin Gregg and Samara Weaving as Ben and Jessica, a wealthy young couple facing their own relationship problems; Regina Hall as Carmel, whose husband left her for a younger woman; Michael Shannon as Napoleon, a father at the resort with his family, coping with a loss; and Bobby Cannavale as Tony, a recovering addict. The Series is a tonal mix of grief and tragedy with Dark Comedy, feeling at times subdued, but the brilliant Ensemble come together to delve deep into their characters’ struggles to keep us engaged. Uncanny that this surfaced around the same time as similarly escapist THE WHITE LOTUS. The first three episodes arrive on Amazon Prime Video, with new episodes arriving Wednesdays.

VACATION FRIENDS (DISNEY+/STAR)

If you’re looking for some fun this weekend, look no further than the raunchy ride that is VACATION FRIENDS. This Buddy Comedy sees Marcus (Lil Rel Howery) and Emily (Yvonne Orji) head off to resort to get married. They encounter a whacky couple, Ron (Jon Cena) and Kyla (Meredith Hanger) who land them in all sorts of craziness, crashing on their plans. The Film is everything you’d want on a weekend romp and the chemistry between Cena and his superb Physical Comedy and Howery are comedic gold, not too mention Hanger who really brings a chaotic, upbeat energy. We have a feeling this story might continue between these buddies, and while the Film is rich in laughs, there is heart in the center of it all. VACATION FRIENDS streams now on STAR via Disney+. Read our Chat with the Film’s Director and Cast here.

CODA (APPLE TV+)

Winning tons of raves out of Sundance and also nabbing the London Award there, Sian Heder‘s CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) has arrived on Apple TV+. The Coming-of-Age story centers on Ruby (Emilia Jones), whose parents (Troy Kostur, Oscar winner Marlee Matlin) are hearing-impaired. She aspires to explore her musical side with the gift of a beautiful voice, but she never had the reassurance of her family who are unable to hear. She auditions for a school choir where Mr. V (Eugenio Derbez) quickly realizes her potential, pushing her to apply to a prestigious musical school despite her reluctance. She falls for choirmate Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) and in ways they find themselves in their Music and eachother. I cannot stress how touched I was by this beautiful story, packed with emotion, phenomenal performances, joy and amazing Music. A definite must-see, streaming now on Apple TV+. Check-out Dave Baldwin‘s review here.

Also, don’t forget to check-out the Team’s reviews of new theatrical releases like SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS, CANDYMAN, TILL DEATH, DEMONIC, RAGING FIRE, RESPECT, NINE DAYS, THE NIGHT HOUSE and more right here.

#INTERVIEW: “VACATION FRIENDS”

By Mr. Will Wong

Taking 18 months to film, starting and stopping over the course of the Pandemic, Clay Tarver (Silicon Valley) directs VACATION FRIENDS starring John Cena and Lil Rel Howery. Centering on a couple (Lil Rel Howery and Yvonne Orji) who go on a getaway to Mexico to get married. Along the way they encounter a wild couple (John Cena and Meredith Hagner) who crash their plans, becoming a bigger part of lives than they could’ve imagined! VACATION FRIENDS really gets its audience to think about that it meant for us to be on vacation at a different time in our lives.

We were lucky to join the Global Press Conference for VACATION FRIENDS and in attendance were:

John Cena – Ron

Lil Rel Howery – Marcus

Yvonne Orji – Emily

Andrew Bachelor – Gabe

Robert Wisdom  

Clay Tarver – Director

Clay Tarver tells us about VACATION FRIENDS‘ relatability.

Tarver: I used to be a musician and still sorta am. The touring life was that every time you’d meet some new friends, doing a big bonding experience that was almost every night. But I’ve met people on vacation in Mexico where I thought we were gonna be friends forever, but once we got to the airport I thought ‘Umm, maybe not’.

John Cena, admits he’s met people in real life like his Ron and Co-Star Meredith Hagner‘s Kyla, and how he responds to that.

Cena: I’d think to take the experience in. The effect is a boomerang, you get what you give. I don’t think there’s anything disrespectful about the two of them. I just think they operate under a construct that doesn’t necessarily adhere to what we think is structural society. They’re fast and loose and really enjoy the present. That’s a very rare commodity. I’ve met people like that in real life and had a blast. I don’t know if I’d ride that wave or how far I’d go out with them, but I’d certainly enjoy their company.

Comedian Yvonne Orji recalls her most memorable experience filming VACATION FRIENDS.

Orji: Was it our last night filming in pseudo-Mexico, but actual Puerto Rico? It was a large sequencing. We did the barhopping, the wrestling scene and it was kinda like wild. There’s a scene they’re carrying Meredith out the bar and it was mayhem, but in the best way possible. We also didn’t know that the world was shutting down on the other side of the ocean. So we were in our own bubble and that was fun!

She comments on what makes for a great performance on Film, being a Comedian.

Orji: The best performances come when you’re not in your head about performing and you’re just being present and enjoying the ride. Rel and I are both Comics, so being spontaneous and being in the middle of the moment and finding whatever spontaneity comes out of that, we just go with it!

Andrew Bachelor talks about some of his intense – although comedic – scenes with Lil Rel Howery.

Bachelor: I’ve known Rel for a while, so when you’re working with your friends, it’s easier to be mean to them. It was no problem at all!

Wisdom, who has worked on THE WIRE, tries his hand at Comedy here and talks about the fun he had.

Robert: There’s a big ballroom scene where I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, but it was fun! They pulled-off some real R-rated stuff with a lot of fun. And then there’s a scene… I had a ball let’s just say. I was a little tipsy and it was fun.

Lil Rel Howery and John Cena talk about their chemistry.

Cena: I think it all starts with the professional respect we have for each other. Both of us were excited about the Script and wanted to do the Film and Clay being kind enough to let us go and be us. As Rel puts it, the words and Comedy were on the page and we just leaned into what we wanted to show. I’d love to do it again!

Howery: I’m a big Wrestling fan and I was like ‘Yo! He really loves what he does!’. Working with someone else that loves what they do, it made it really easy for us to play. I love that fact that John was open to the idea of trying new things and having fun with it even if it was the silliest thing. So hopefully we can be Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor!

Cena and Howery talk about what they hope the audience will take away from VACATION FRIENDS.

Cena: Had we been on a normal schedule, this is when it would’ve been released anyway. Because we’ve had to modify what vacation means to us, all of us know what vacation means and all of us remember our vacation moments and people we may have met on vacation. If they get anything else that’s great, but I hope they’re entertained and that they laugh,

I think the subject matter is so relatable and so desperately needed right now that especially people are having to come up with Plan B vacations and alter yet again here we are 18 months into the world changing. I think it’s going to be good for people to just sit down and enjoy a film that might might make them remember a moment of their life and smile a little bit.

Howery: I think the audience is going to enjoy seeing, it’s almost like a blueprint of what was fun and this Movie is so funny, which is why I applaud Clay. One of the things Comedy is missing is just being straight-up funny. This really is just a straight-up funny movie and laughter is so important right now. Laughter is just good for the soul.

Cena: Being a physical performer in the WWE, the reason we transcend so many borders is that you get the action. I think what they brilliantly did in the Script was provide a ton of Physical Comedy so it’s also a movie you cannot necessarily know what’s going on with the audio but see the Movie and laugh along with it, because of the tremendous amount of Physical Comedy. And I think that’s gonna help us around the world and hopefully we can make a lot more people laugh.

VACATION FRIENDS arrives on Star on Disney+ Friday, August 28, 2021.

(Photo/video credit: Disney/20th Century Studios)

#FIRSTLOOK: “VACATION FRIENDS” NEW TRAILER

John Cena stars in VACATION FRIENDS, coming soon to STAR, only on Disney+! We love a good raunchy Comedy and here’s the new Trailer.

Synopsis:

In this raw and raunchy comedy, straight-laced Marcus and Emily (Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji) are befriended by wild, thrill-seeking partiers Ron and Kyla (John Cena, Meredith Hagner) at a resort in Mexico.  Living in the moment, the usually level-headed couple lets loose to enjoy a week of uninhibited fun and debauchery with their new “vacation friends.” Months after their walk on the wild side, Marcus and Emily are horrified when Ron and Kyla show up uninvited at their wedding, creating chaos and proving that what happens on vacation, doesn’t necessarily stay on vacation.

VACATION FRIENDS arrives on Star August 27, 2021.

(Photo/video credit: Disney)