This was a difficult film to get through. I noted in my earlier thoughts about the first movie that I wasn’t convinced it entirely succeeded and worried any continuation would likely be unsuccessful. Sadly, my concerns were justified. *Vacation Friends 2* is really slow-moving; the performers are underwhelming, and the humor falls completely flat—not a single smile came during the viewing. I recently saw *Dashing Through the Snow* and commented on how Lil Rel Howery almost managed to make that other film from 2023 worthwhile. This time, however, he couldn't rescue it. Yvonne Orji is acceptable but isn’t given much to do; even immediately after finishing, I can’t remember anything significant about her role. John Cena, an actor whose work I generally appreciate, and Meredith Hagner are quite irritating in this film. They play characters similar to those they portrayed in the initial installment, though here their routine is more grating than amusing (and it doesn't succeed at all). Steve Buscemi (a big fan of his) isn’t good either, while Carlos Santos seems like an unnecessary addition. The 2021 movie had five writers involved; this one only had one, director Clay Tarver. That probably accounts for the decline in quality. At least the sequel has a more appealing poster—that's something to be said for it...

Source on TMDB