by Gill Pringle
Ever been on vacation and met some fun new friends? Everyone lets their hair down but, a week later, the party’s over and it’s back home to the real world where likely you’ll never see them again?
But what happens when these “vacation friends” that you haven’t given a thought to in months, suddenly crash into your non-vacation life?
That’s the premise posed by Clay Tarver’s raunchy comedy, Vacation Friends.
In this instance, straightlaced Marcus and Emily (Howery, Yvonne Orji) are befriended by wild, thrill-seeking partiers Ron and Kyla (Cena, Meredith Hagner) at a Mexican resort. 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.
“It’s about that kind of superficial friendship that actually goes way farther than you expect,” says writer/director Tarver, making his feature directorial debut with Vacation Friends.
Tarver tells us why he’d bring John Cena, Yvonne Orji, Lil Rel Howery and Meredith Hagner on vacation any day.
What part of your own vacation memories did you bring to this story?
“I actually did have a roommate in college who started a drinking game and he drank so much that people just petered out in our dorm. It’s part of a small montage, but that was literally from my own life. But all the way through my own travels – I was a musician for many years – and every time I’d go on tour, I’d meet someone and we’d have a great, epic night and you never knew: Will I be friends with this person forever or will I never see them again? Some are friends to this day and others were fun for one night but a little too much for me. And so, I knew that scenario really well and felt like it was a really relatable premise. Everyone has gone on vacation and over-shared and over-bonded and so this movie asks the question: What if it goes beyond that? I liked that premise, which was so simple, it almost felt like a movie from the ‘40s or even the ‘70s, just really classic, in the same vein as Meet The Parents.”
John Cena has proven himself as a real comedy talent. How did you bring him on board?
“He read the script and loved it and wanted to do it. I thought he was so funny in Trainwreck and Blockers, and he was really going against type in both those movies. I liked Blockers so much and I got hold of Ike Barinholtz’s number – who was also in Blockers – and asked, ‘How is John?’ And Ike was very funny, he thought about it for a second and he almost got mad and finally said, ‘I think John Cena may be the nicest person I’ve ever met in my life. He was so cool!’ And I love Ike’s work and he was just like, ‘My God, you have no idea how good he is’. And it was totally true. John is really gifted comedically, he listens, and he plays tough people well and is just a total professional – and he even listened to me! So, I was incredibly lucky.”
You produced TV’s Silicon Valley which was a huge success, but Vacation Friends is your debut as a feature film director/writer. How did you persuade Disney that you were the right man for the job?
“I’ll tell you a secret. The executive who was at Fox, now Disney, called me and said, ‘This movie has been through several iterations and why didn’t I do it?’ In fact, I had worked on it earlier. I’d tried to direct movies throughout my career, and I’d directed an episode of Silicon Valley and I just kind of thought it would never really happen. But John came on and then Rel came on and we kept casting it and then I met a line producer in Atlanta, and I was like, ‘Wait? Are we really making this?!’ And I didn’t want to jinx it and then, sure enough, next thing I knew, we were actually making a movie. I would say I’ve spent 25 years trying to convince people I could direct a movie and then with this one, everything fell together.”
Was it shot during the pandemic?
“We shot in Puerto Rico, doubling for Mexico, and during the first two weeks of the movie, we were trying to get as much done in Puerto Rico as we could, just racing around and shooting all those beautiful exteriors and we were nervous that this would be the hardest part of making this movie because it rains all the time and we jammed so much in and we got a lucky break and got through it all. So, we were at the San Juan airport, high-fiving each other as we headed back to Atlanta where we thought it would be so much easier from then on and then we got the call that we were going on hiatus, everything is shutting down and everyone needs to go home. And 20 hours later, I was sitting on my couch back home, going, ‘What just happened?’ I thought maybe the movie would never come back and, sure enough, it did, and five months later we were in Atlanta, but it was a totally different world with everyone in masks and testing all the time. But somehow, we got through it without any major outbreaks, and I don’t really think it looks like a movie made during Covid. It feels like a movie made at any other time. I’m proud of that.”
Meredith Hagner, who plays John’s wacky girlfriend, Kyla, is so funny in this – almost like a young Goldie Hawn. Of course, she was in Brightburn and Palm Springs, but she’s such a hilarious addition to Vacation Friends. Did you chemistry test her with John?
“Yes. I was having trouble casting that part. We thought it would be easy, but it was really tough for some reason, and I took a young comedy writer friend out to lunch, who is cooler than me, and asked for his input and he immediately said: ‘Meredith Hagner’ and said how she was amazing in Search Party which was a TV show I hadn’t really watched. I went back and checked her out and was immediately like, ‘Oh my God, this is Kyla!’ So, we did a chemistry read with her and John. I met John the night before and told him I was going to test him with three different actresses. I wanted to tell him a little bit about all three, but he didn’t want to hear it, saying, ‘No, this is your decision, you’re not going to hear anything from me.’ So, we did it the next day and right after he and Meredith tested, after she’d left the room, he grabbed my arm and says, ‘Who was that?! That’s her!’ So, he violated his whole thing about not telling me what he thought. But it was just obvious. She was just amazing.”
How many other actresses did you test for the role of Kyla?
“Probably 45 – 50. There were some big names in there but not everyone was truly available, so it was hard to know but she just nailed it. When she read the script, she said, ‘If I went on vacation, I would do that. Not maybe all the crazy stuff but I would get you in trouble’. And I believe it, especially after making the film. She’s incredibly fun and I think will be a great star.”
Plot spoiler. Would anyone seriously put cocaine on the rim of a margarita glass?
“That was in the script when I got it. I have heard of people putting cocaine in drinks before but it’s not a good idea, but I thought it was a very funny way to reveal who they were. We took a few liberties so if I catch hell from the cocaine community then that’s OK.”
There’s several nightmare vacation scenarios in this film which ring true. Did any of the cast throw in their own terrible vacation experiences?
“I think we’ve all been through it, which was the most relatable part of the story to me. You can plan all you want but, oftentimes, it goes sideways, and sometimes those are the most fun experiences when you’re just sitting with random people you don’t know and suddenly, they’re your best friends.”
Did any of your cast relate to other aspects of the story such as disapproving in-laws?
“Rel and Yvonne (Orji) were amazing to work with and it was almost like the part was written for Rel because he’s from a tough neighborhood in Chicago and is totally self-made. He’s tough but he’s also a nerd. He’s not as uptight as Marcus is but he would admit all of this, and he just embraced so much of the humiliating part of the character. He loves to be irritated and plays that so well. And Yvonne is so funny, and her stand-up is amazing and she’s great on Insecure. She just has an elegance and ease around people and can deal with anyone. It felt like the parts were written for them.”
Vacation Friends premiers on Star on Disney+ on August 27.
