Despite having tried-and-tested methods and multiple pools of inspiration to dip into when running low on the same, the world of buddy comedies is often teeming with tasteless junk trying to pass itself off as movies. Clay Tarver and Tom and Tim Mullen’s 2021 adventure took a shot at taking us back to the good old’ days of The Hangover franchise. Starring the evidently visible John Cena, Yvonne Orji, Meredith Hagner and Lil Rel Howery, the film resolved to take life and itself not too seriously. And lucky for us, Tarver’s vision was clear about the lighthearted escapade where two practically antithetical couples are nudged to do a bit of soul-searching. Here’s a little refresher on the chuckle-worthy tale of these unlikely friends before the much-awaited arrival of the sequel, Vacation Friends 2.
Spoilers Ahead
How Did The Mexico Trip Go For Marcus And Emily?
Rose petals floating all over the floor of his flooded hotel room are not what Marcus paid his hard-earned money for when he decided to treat his girlfriend Emily to a luxurious trip and a proposal to die for. The only thing dead, however, was his dream of sweeping Emily off her feet with his grand gesture and just maybe getting closer to being the man that her smug and uppity father sees in her future. But the misery was short-lived, as Emily, being a woman who didn’t pay heed to her haughty family’s weird standards for her companion, said yes anyway, and the two were taken under the wing of the strangest couple they’d ever met.
Mi casa es su casa was the least Ron and Kyla could do after their jacuzzi shenanigans left Marcus and Emily without an agreeable place to crash. But the sneaky cocaine replacing the salt on the margarita glass rims might’ve been a tad over the top. Thanks to it being Marcus and Emily’s only chance to let loose, they jumped right at the chance of having a “what happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico” kind of vacation, and they really couldn’t have hitched their wagon to a wackier couple to achieve the same.
After getting beyond plastered, crashing a rented boat right into a rock, and having an amusing heart-to-heart by the beach that ended with a bullet grazing the unbothered Ron’s head later, the four were practically besties. Or that’s what Ron and Kyla convinced themselves of. Yet, no matter how much wicked love he showered Marcus with, the latter wasn’t quite so taken by his new friend, who was a bit too eccentric, to say the least. And even though, in lieu of a better option, Marcus did let Ron be the best man at his secret Mexican wedding, neither Marcus nor Emily had the slightest intention of being lifelong friends with Ron and Kyla. They couldn’t wait to get away from the “crazy” couple, who were hellbent on staying in touch.
How Did The Two Couples Become Friends After Everything?
Can you imagine the unnerving spiral Marcus must’ve gone down, wondering if he’d slept with Kyla on the drunken night he only remembered snippets of? Yet that was nothing compared to his anxiety about being cut down to size by Emily’s father, Harold, who’d never shown him enough respect to even acknowledge that he owned his own construction business. The real wedding absolutely knocked Marcus and Emily down with a formidable punch of stress, which was only taken to another level when the vacation friends they’d ghosted decided to crash the party. Fortunately, Harold was quite taken by Ron’s military background and granted the couple a grand invitation to take the presidential suite at the venue.
Being jealous over the suite wasn’t even something Marcus could concern himself with when he was busy losing his mind wondering if he was the father of the child Kyla was now carrying in her belly. Ron was infertile, so you can’t really blame Marcus for jumping to the worst possible conclusion. In the midst of the chaos that was Marcus and Emily’s odd wedding, Ron and Kyla only found ways to amp up the stress meter for the couple. If you truly acknowledged how infuriating it must’ve been for Marcus to find Ron pawning and eventually losing the heirloom wedding bands that Harold reluctantly trusted him with, you’d find it in your heart to forgive him for the outburst. But that’s nothing compared to the one he basically ruins the wedding with when he has a meltdown over his fear that he might’ve fathered a child with Kyla. But as it turned out, thanks to a crazy coincidence Marcus didn’t even mean to orchestrate, Ron was no longer infertile. It was Emily who’d crossed the line and cheated on Marcus with Kyla on the Mexico trip.
Nevertheless, even with the whirlwind of confusion put to rest, Marcus and Emily thought it best to humiliate Ron and Kyla and kick them out for turning the wedding into an emotional train wreck. Yet, all it took was a sweet gesture from the odd couple for Marcus and Emily to acknowledge that, whether they were ready to admit it or not, they loved Ron and Kyla. Granted, even at their best, the two were more than a handful and quite risky to be around due to their recklessness. But at the end of the day, all Ron and Kyla did was ensure that Marcus and Emily were treated with nothing but love and kindness. It was the sweetest reunion that brought together the almost-estranged couples, who then went on to embrace their ginormous differences and yet found ways to make their unlikeliest friendship work.
What To Expect From The Sequel
In case you were missing Ron, Kyla, Marcus, and Emily’s unhinged antics, Hulu’s all set to follow up the relatively lowkey original with a fiery sequel that has a lot more absolute lunacy in store. If the trailer is any hint, the business trip-turned-vacation that Marcus and Emily invite their wild friends on will likely transform into another once-in-a-lifetime experience for the quirky quartet. Mexico wasn’t wild enough to contain the kind of uninhibited adventures Ron and Kyla are capable of manifesting out of thin air. As is evident from the new parents readily losing their toddler in the airport, neither of them has changed much in the few months that have passed since the kooky wedding.
Soaking up the Caribbean trip in booze and taking Marcus’ business associates along for the wild ride, Ron and Kyla are just warming up until it’s time for them to unleash the true extent of just how crazy they can get. But wait, that’s not all. There’s an unexpected guest about to invite a world of trouble that nobody could’ve anticipated. Judging by the huge bag of cocaine, untamed gunfire, and deranged car chases brought forth by Kyla’s father Reese’s inclusion in the mix, the laidback buddy comedy is about to have a massive surge of adrenalin. Taking foolproof notes from the hit classics that came before, Vacation Friends 2 is about to try its hands at plating up a blazing experience for the fans of the four friends who can’t seem to duck when trouble comes their way.
