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Johnson Family Vacation is a 2004 American roadcomedy film directed by Christopher Erskin. It stars Cedric the Entertainer, Vanessa Williams, Bow Wow, Gabby Soleil, Shannon Elizabeth, Solange Knowles, and Steve Harvey. The story revolves around the Johnson family going on a road trip to attend a family reunion in Missouri and the numerous hijinks they occur along the way. The film is director Erskin's first and only feature film directorial project to date. It also marks the feature film debut of Jason Momoa. A sequel, titled Johnson Family Celebration, is in development.
Plot
Nate Johnson and his son, DJ, visit an auto body shop in Los Angeles to pick up Nate's Lincoln Navigator, only to discover that it has been mistakenly upgraded with extravagant features. Despite Nate's objections, they are forced to take the customized truck because they have a family reunion to attend in Missouri. On their way home, Nate receives a call from his disapproving mother, Glorietta, who criticizes his marriage to his wife, Dorothy. Nate's older brother, Mack, takes over the call, always trying to one-up Nate by appealing to their mother's material desires.
Upon arriving home, it is revealed that Nate and Dorothy are separated, living in separate houses down the street from each other, along with their daughters, Nikki and Destiny. Nikki is preoccupied with her cellphone, while Destiny struggles to retrieve her belongings for her imaginary dog, Sir Barks-a-Lot. Nate disapproves of Dorothy's studying and brings it up when he sees her bringing schoolwork on the road trip. Just as they are about to leave, a man named Stan Turner arrives, claiming to have a reservation for a date with Dorothy. Nate intervenes, asserting his role as Dorothy's husband and scaring Stan away.
The family sets off on their road trip, but tensions arise when Nate stops at an Indian casino, mistakenly thinking it was an Indian reservation. Nate's daughter, Nikki, flirts with an Indian tour guide, causing Nate's disapproval. In response, Nate embarrasses Nikki, leading to an argument where he confiscates her cellphone as a punishment.
The journey continues until they encounter a dangerous situation on a stretch of highway, with a semi truck attempting to run them off the road. Nate manages to avoid a collision, but the impact causes their suitcases to spill out of the vehicle. Everyone is visibly shaken, but they eventually find a hotel to rest. Dorothy pretends to be interested in reconciling with Nate, but her true motive is to take a break from the trip.
While on the road, they pick up a hitchhiker named Chrishelle, against Nate's initial judgment. Chrishelle steals from Destiny and reveals a drug pipe in the backseat. At Bun World for Destiny's birthday celebration, Chrishelle behaves strangely, frightening the family. They decide to distance themselves from her and continue the journey.
During their stay at another hotel, Nate and DJ find an alligator named Twinkie in their bed, brought in by Chrishelle. They quickly rid themselves of her and resume their journey. DJ eventually needs to relieve himself and urinates in a soda cup, which Nate later throws out of the window, accidentally hitting a police officer on a motorcycle. Nate's inattentiveness leads to a collision with a cement truck, covering their SUV in wet cement.
Arrested for littering and possession of drugs (Chrishelle's pipe), the family finds themselves locked up. Dorothy manages to help the officer with his taxes, securing their release. Back on the road, they run out of gas and Nate calls his Uncle Earl for assistance. Earl flirts with Dorothy and attempts to fix the SUV using unconventional tools. Eventually, he hauls the truck onto his own and drives them to the family reunion.
At the reunion, Nate's mother criticizes his marriage in front of everyone. However, Dorothy surprises everyone by suggesting they renew their vows. They passionately kiss, and Nate's mother acknowledges Dorothy's worth as a wife. During the festivities, Nate and his family compete with Mack's family for the "Family of the Year" trophy. Nate's family wins with an entertaining performance that includes stealing items for their costumes.
The semi truck driver, Stan, who had caused trouble earlier, interrupts the celebration and reveals Nate and Dorothy's separation to the whole family. Nate confesses his shortcomings as a husband, leading to an apology from Nate and a punch from Glorietta towards Stan. The family decides to leave and head home.
They stop at Uncle Earl's auto shop, where the repaired truck falls apart as soon as Nate locks it. Despite the setback, Dorothy reassures Nate, hinting at rekindling their romance. With a smile, Nate follows Dorothy into the house, ready for the next chapter of their relationship.
Johnson Family Vacation was heavily panned by critics. It received a 6% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 90 reviews, with an average score of 3.4/10. The critical consensus says: "The poorly crafted Johnson Family Vacation squanders its talented cast in a bland family road comedy that draws unfavorable comparisons to Chevy Chase's Vacation movies."[2] The film has a 29 out of 100 rating on Metacritic based on 24 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[3] The critics gave it a "C−" rating at Yahoo! Movies.[4]
Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club criticized the film for being "stitched together with regional stereotypes and gags lifted from other movies".[5]The Austin Chronicle's Marjorie Baumgarten found the humor "half-baked – all setups with few satisfactory payoffs" and the filmmakers' talents lacking in making new and creative comedy set pieces, concluding that "Johnson Family Vacation is as arduous to watch as your neighbor's poorly focused vacation slides."[6]Roger Ebert felt that Cedric's talents were watered down by the film's "paint-by-numbers" script and Erskin's direction having "style without zing", calling it "a routine cross-country comedy that feels exactly like a series of adventures recycled out of every other cross-country comedy."[7] Andy Patrizio of IGN commended Cedric's comedic chemistry alongside Harvey and Williams but felt he didn't work with Shannon's miscast role and the film overall getting bogged down by "a few cases of bathroom humor," concluding that, "[W]hile in the spirit of Vacation, it's not quite on its level. But that shouldn't stop anyone from checking it out on a slow night. I wouldn't make it a top priority rental, but don't dismiss it, either. "[8]
