Vacation Friends 2 is a consistent and expected follow-up to the 2021 film. John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji, and Meredith Hagner, all return in their central roles as the vacation party moves to the Caribbean.
All the “it is so crazy it might just work” ideas are thrown together in the semblance of a script to make the film a memorable ride for viewers. Fans of the first film will love the sequel to bits, while new viewers won’t find it too difficult to adjust to its tone and brand of humour.
Vacation Friends 2 is funny without being annoying and benefits from a star-turn by Cena. The former WWE star has been on fire ever since he started his acting career, bringing his astute timing and physicality to the fore. Santos Carlos and Steven Buscemi also make sizeable appearances in the film, adding to its charm and vigour.
In this ending explainer, we break down Vacation Friends 2’s plot and ending for our viewers, answering all the questions you might have.
Vacation Friends 2 Plot Summary
The sequel is set in the Caribbean islands where Ron, Kyla, Emily, and Marcus are spending their vacation. Kyla has just had her baby, who is already “crawling.” Ron and she have decided to bring along Maurilio, the manager of the hotel they spent their last vacation in, as a babysitter.
Maruilio is more than willing to come on an all-expenses paid trip to the Caribbean. Could any of us have said no? While the couples are going together, Emily and Marcus will be taking a couple of extra days to themselves. Not to have fun or relax but to allow Marcus to meet Mrs Kim, the chairman of Kim Wae, a Korean hotel chain business.
Marcus will have a chance to take his construction business to the next level. He will do everything possible to convince Mrs. Kim to give Parker Constructions the contract to build a five-star hotel in Chicago.
The vacation starts off on an explosive note – just how a vacation should start. The night of hard drinking, dancing, and revelry does not go unnoticed by our couples’ crashing headaches the next morning. They all are just beginning the day when Marcus sees something that startles him and frightens him beyond comprehension.
To his absolute shock, his meeting with Kim has been moved up a full week! His colleagues tried to warn him about the change but Marcus was in full holiday mode! Now, he has to adapt to the new schedule and ensure that Ron and Kyla do not spoil his image in front of the Koreans.
They are all invited to drinks at the lagoon to meet Mr Yeon, the senior-most VP of the company. Kim isn’t there yet but Yeon is the one Marcus will have to win over first.
How does Ron help Marcus win over Yeon?
While his introduction to Yeon isn’t very decent, Marcus is benefited by Ron’s Korean-speaking abilities. There seems to be a genuine sense of respect between Ron and Yeon.
The party has yet another surprise for the viewers in the form of Reese (Buscemi), Kyla’s father, who has just been released from prison. Kyla and Reese have a grossly casual and inappropriate dynamic, seeming more compatible as siblings than parent and child. Their antics are noticed by the entire party, including the Koreans.
Marcus buys a $700 bottle of rum to take the group away from the party before more damage is done. The rum is never drunk by Reese, though. He explains that he went to prison for tax fraud. But Emily and Marcus do not believe him.
Reese comes off as a sketchy person as he urges Ron and Kyla to invest all their money into cryptocurrency. Marcus’ image in Yeon’s mind is further blemished as he falls unconscious after attempting to ride really high waves the next day.
Why is Reese on vacation with the couples?
In the background, we see Reese meeting up with someone called Jerome. He had earlier said that he did not know anyone on the island. In reality, Reese knows both Jerome and Warren, a drug dealer we meet the same night at the casino.
Reese is after Warren’s money that is resting somewhere in the ocean in a wrecked plane. That plane belongs to Warren and had crashed some time ago. That night, at the casino, Reese tries to lure Ron and Marcus into his scheme but they do not take the bait.
Each of our central couples is having problems – not with each other, but with their own insecurities. Emily hesitates to tell Marcus the truth that she does not want to have a baby at the moment. He has been extremely excited about this opportunity.
Ron suffers from a sense of inadequacy as Reese does not seem to like him. And everyone that meets Ron likes him.
Marcus is struggling to live up to Yeon’s expectations and goes the full lengths to make sure he gains his approval. In an intense moment, one of Yeon’s colleagues, Minjin, and Ron, face off against each other in a drinking contest. The former momentarily dies as his breathing stops but eventually regains consciousness.
Marcus faces yet another roadblock in his bid when Yeon informs him that Kim wants slates in the construction of the building. He somehow manages to write that into his presentation but is thrown off by a package that arrives for him. Inside, he finds cocaine and a note from Reese asking Marcus to hold the package for him. It turns out that the powder is not cocaine but Kyla’s mother’s ashes, which he wanted her to have.
Why do the group go snorkelling?
Reese takes the group on a snorkelling expedition the next day. Jerome is with him too. They end up somewhere in Cuba.
Reese and Jerome have planned to find the money in the ocean and do so with relative ease. Marcus becomes suspicious of them but they have no time to argue as the coast guard starts shooting at them for illegally entering the country. Jerome and the others escape but one of the bullets strikes the plane’s fuel line, which forces them to crash. As fate would have it, they crash right next to Warren’s base on the island. Jerome ditches Reese and runs off with a million bucks.
The rest of the money is destroyed as the wreck catches on fire and explodes. Warren and his thugs pursue the group who run for their lives. They are eventually caught due to the Ovulation Meter app on Marcus’s phone. Reese gives them the coordinates to the money. But his sincerity is not rewarded.
Ending Explained: How does Ron manage to pay off the drug dealers?
The group is placed in a cargo hold and left to sink to the bottom of the ocean. Ron’s training and intellect come in handy as he forces open a corroded part of the cargo hold’s roof to help them escape. Kyla jimmies a car and the group escapes. When Warren finds that there is no money and that the group have managed to run away, he uses one of his gang member’s phone location to track the group since they have taken his car.
Ron is initially able to escape from the thugs but is not able to prevent the car from overturning as one of the tires is targeted. The group finds themselves in all sorts of troubles as Warren demands that his money – $5 million – be returned.
Emily and Kyla try to play a trick by bringing Maurilio to pose as a Colombian drug lord. As they buy themselves some time, it is Ron who saves the day. Although everyone thinks he is only messing at first, he actually makes the entire transaction and Warren leaves them alone.
Ron reveals that he had invested in the crypto coin that Reese had earlier suggested, naming a cool 200k on his investment. Reese cannot believe someone would do this for him and finally embraces Ron, saying he has earned his respect.
In all of this madness, Marcus realizes he has missed the meeting with Mrs Kim. He makes a last-ditch attempt to speak to Kim as she is about to board her chopper but this is not effective.
To his utter surprise, it is Yeon who comes to his rescue. He finally speaks his mind in front of Kim and turns the tide in Marcus’ favour. He wins the contract and we have a happy ending! But before things end, Reese reveals that he had actually escaped from prison to meet his daughter, just as the FBI promptly arrives at the beach to take him away.
Maurilio finally finds his voice to ask out Veronika, whom he had earlier met at the resort. The movie ends with Ron citing “unfinished business” as he stares down Minjin at the bar.
Read More: Vacation Friends 2 – Movie Review
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