Johnson Family Vacation

Reviewed by:
Paul Ulane

Cedric the Entertainer hops in the driver’s seat as star and producer of this family road trip “comedy” that should land him back in a Bud Light commercial by the first reel change. Thanks to Johnson family strife from which we were mercifully spared, Nate Johnson (Cedric) and son (Bow Wow) live three doors down from Dorothy Johnson (Vanessa Williams) and daughters (Solange “Beyoncé’s Sister” Knowles and Gabby Soliel). Dad wants everyone to put on their happy faces for the annual Johnson family reunion in Missouri, but the rest of the family…and the audience…and every major production company other than Fox Searchlight…are too busy nodding off in their seats. On the road between L.A. and Mizzou, mishaps pile up beside comedic misfires, with Shannon Elizabeth, Steve Harvey, and a character played by a feebly disguised Cedric adding their comic harm. Other fresh ideas include Bow Wow speaking in “izzle” to his father’s chagrin and the obligatory urban comedy staple: a grandma knocking somebody right the fuck out. If you see this one gasping at the side of the road, bury the needle and don’t look back.

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