Vacation Friends 2 Trailer: John Cena And Lil Rel Howery Reunite For Even More Comedy Chaos

2021 was unquestionably the Summer of Cena, as John Cena appeared in "Fast 9," "The Suicide Squad," and the truly delightful "Vacation Friends." The latter was, in this writer's opinion, the first comedy film since "Blockers" that truly knew how to play to Cena's comedic strengths as a leading man, and pairing him alongside Lil Rel Howery ("Get Out'), Yvonne Orji ("Insecure"), and Meredith Hagner ("Search Party") was a recipe for comedy gold. The film was a huge hit on Hulu, snagging a sequel greenlight less than a month after its debut on the Disney-owned streamer. Less than two years later, the foursome is back for "Vacation Friends 2," reuniting with writer-director Clay Tarver in the process. 

The sequel picks up a few months after the first film, which saw Ron (Cena) and a pregnant Kyla (Hagner) finally tying the knot, doing so with their new friends Marcus (Howery) and Emily (Orji) by their side. Marcus has landed an all-expenses-paid trip to a Caribbean resort and invites his friends to join him as a honeymoon present. Things of course immediately go off the rails, as Marcus' travel desires are actually related to his job, and Kyla's father Reese (Steve Buscemi) has recently been released from San Quentin State Prison and has surprised the happy couple with a visit. As to be expected, their vacation turns into chaos, with "Vacation Friends 2" crossing genres into the action-comedy territory. I really loved the first "Vacation Friends" flick, but based on this trailer, it's clear that Hulu isn't holding back with the sequel.

Ron and Kyla have brought their bouncing bundle of baby joy along with them on the vacation, so the stakes are already so much higher than they were in the first film. It's one thing to watch uninhibited adults put their lives on the line, but now we've got an infant crawling around. In a moment that made me audibly cackle during the trailer, a woman brings the baby to the pair as they sit in the airport after she found him "crawling under a table," but Ron and Kyla are too excited to celebrate the fact their baby is finally crawling to care that he was crawling away from the group. Side note: Meredith Hagner is one of the most underutilized comedic actresses currently working today, and the fact she isn't a household name is a crime. If you've never seen her in David Cross' film "Hits," do yourself a favor and check that out.

The rest of the trailer is filled with plenty of one-liners and ridiculous set pieces, including John Cena pounding drinks with businessmen, accidentally snorting cremated remains thinking it's cocaine, the group being shot at in a high-speed chase, explosions, and Lil Rel Howery absolutely whiffing it while trying to surf. I'M IN. In addition to Buscemi, also joining the core four are Carlos Santos ("Primo"), Ronny Chieng ("M3GAN"), and Jamie Hector ("We Own This City"). The film is produced by Todd Garner, who produced the first film, and Stuart M. Besser ("The Trial of the Chicago 7").

"Vacation Friends" debuts on August 25, 2023, exclusively as a Hulu Original in the U.S. and internationally as an original on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ in all other territories.