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Johnson Family Vacation (2004)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 3.3/10
Reviews Counted: 91
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 86

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.

Average Rating: 3.8/10
Critic Reviews: 31
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 27

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.

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Average Rating: 2.9/5
User Ratings: 37,308

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Movie Info

Comedian Cedric the Entertainer serves as both producer and star of this comedy about a family who discovers just how much can go wrong en route to a family get-together. When Nate Johnson (Cedric the Entertainer) is invited to a big family reunion in Missouri, he sees it as an opportunity to reconnect with his estranged wife and growing children, as well as a chance to show up his wealthier know-it-all brother, Mack (Steve Harvey). Nate takes delivery on an expensive new SUV, persuades his

PG-13, 1 hr. 37 min.

Comedy

Directed By: Christopher Erskin

Written By: Todd R. Jones, Earl Richey Jones

In Theaters: Apr 7, 2004 Wide

On DVD: Aug 10, 2004

Box Office:$31.0M

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Johnson Family Vacation Trailer & Photos

More Photos (14)

Cast

Vanessa L. Williams
Dorothy Johnson
Cedric the Entertainer
Nate Johnson, Uncle Ear...
Solange Knowles
Nikki Johnson
Bow Wow
D.J. Johnson
Gabby Soleil
Destiny Johnson
Shannon Elizabeth
Chrishelle
Steve Harvey
Mack Johnson
Aloma Wright
Glorietta Johnson
Lee Garlington
Betty Sue
Shari Headley
Jacqueline
Lorna Scott
Gladys
Chris Hardwick
Arson Investigator
Masasa
Theta #1
Jonathan Joss
Casino Host
Godfrey
Motorcycle Cop
Jennifer Freeman
Jill
Kurupt
Kurupt
DeRay Davis
Jamaican Stoner
Jason Momoa
Navarro
Tanjareen Martin
Tangerine
Kevin Farley
Stall Guy
Philip Daniel Bolden
Mack Jr.
Chana Ylahne Orr
Theta #2
Lichelli Lazar-Lea
Navi Computer Voice
Christopher B. Duncan
Stan
Shane Woodson
Angus
Gabriel Corbin
Dancer #1/"Mack Johnson...
Tracie Burton
Dancer #2/"Jacqueline"
Katerina Graham
Dancer #3/"Jill"
Jamil Morgan
Dancer#4/"Mack Jr."
Jeremiah "J.J." Williams ...
Cousin Bodie
Rodney Perry
Cousin Lump
Jennifer Nicole
Lil Bow Wow

Critic Reviews for Johnson Family Vacation

All Critics (91) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (5) | Rotten (87) | DVD (17)

This is a real mess, with out-of-focus shots and continuity lapses that suggest a production in chaos.

March 6, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

| Comment

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

Packing all the tired trappings of the raunchy road-trip genre, this loutish comedy plays out as a loosely threaded collection of shrill jokes and cliched sight gags.

March 6, 2007 Full Review Source: Associated Press

| Comment

David Germain

Associated Press

Top Critic

The direction on Johnson Family Vacation is numbingly slack; the synapses between the scenes don't spark effortlessly, as they should, and the whole enterprise feels dragged-down and belabored.

April 17, 2004 Full Review Source: Salon.com

| Comment

Stephanie Zacharek

Salon.com

Top Critic

Big disappointment.

April 12, 2004 Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper

| Comment

Richard Roeper

Ebert & Roeper

Top Critic

Single-handedly saving a movie may be a tall order for a short-legged clown, but Cedric the Entertainer is the best (and probably only) reason to take this Vacation.

April 9, 2004 Comment

Michael O'Sullivan

Washington Post

Top Critic

This family vacation runs out of gas long before its destination.

April 9, 2004 Full Review Source: Toronto Star

| Comment

Susan Walker

Toronto Star

Top Critic

This charmless movie not for children.

January 1, 2011 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comment

Beth Pratt

Common Sense Media

Mechanical performances by Vanessa Williams and Bow Wow, as Nate's musically inclined son, impair Cedric's earnest comedic efforts in this spasmodic comedy.

May 4, 2009 Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com

| Comment

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Several laugh-out-loud moments are scattered throughout this otherwise dumb-and-gets-even-dumber African-American road trip.

August 7, 2008 Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review

| Comment

Mark Halverson

Sacramento News & Review

This is one road trip that should've ended in a ditch.

October 30, 2006 Full Review Source: Dark Horizons

| Comment

Garth Franklin

Dark Horizons

I really wanted to like this movie, especially since I'm a fan of Cedric the Entertainer.

February 5, 2005 Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium

| Comment

JoBlo

JoBlo's Movie Emporium

...Cedric the Entertainer simply cannot act.

August 17, 2004 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews

| Comment

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Too many jokes fall flat and a number of promising set-ups ... wind up going nowhere.

August 8, 2004 Full Review Source: Film Journal International

| Comment

Ethan Alter

Film Journal International

We can only generously call it a pale imitation of National Lampoon's Vacation

August 3, 2004 Full Review Source: Film Freak Central

| Comment

Bill Chambers

Film Freak Central

Find one stereotype and stick to it. Don't confuse the audience by trying to be Wayne Brady and Bernie Mac in the same movie.

May 5, 2004 Full Review Source: Film Snobs

| Comment

Stephen Himes

Film Snobs

It really wasn't as funny as it could of been or should have been.

April 18, 2004 Full Review Source: 3BlackChicks Review

| Comment

Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel

3BlackChicks Review

Eighties nostalgia has seeped so far into our pop-cultural landscape, it's starting to feel like VH1 took over the movie studios.

April 16, 2004 Full Review | Comment

Sean Burns

Philadelphia Weekly

Family of Five in Search of a Script might be a better title, but this road picture gets better as it goes along, and the upbeat ending redeems it considerably.

April 15, 2004 Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor

| Comment

M. K. Terrell

Christian Science Monitor

For a cast of unknowns, this would have been a nice introduction to some up and coming stars but with veterans like Cedric, Harvey and Williams, something seemed lacking.

April 15, 2004 Full Review | Comment

Jeffrey Lyles

Gazette (MD) Source: Gazette (MD)

A shambles like this just oozes contempt for both its performers and its audience -- something that's even more unfunny than the movie itself.

April 14, 2004 Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

| Comment

Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Plays out like the pilot episode for a sitcom that no network picked up.

April 13, 2004 Full Review Source: Eclipse Magazine

| Comment

Sean O'Connell

Eclipse Magazine

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Johnson Family Vacation

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It was pretty stupid. I don't like that Cedric the Entertainer guy (what a stupid name!).

May 18, 2006

Andrew Fillmore

Super Reviewer

Fun movie...but still like National Lampoon's Vacation a whole lot better. Instead of going to Wally World...the Johnson family heads to a family reunion in Missouri. Of course, the road trip runs into many obstacles and pot holes. Cedric the Entertainer always makes me laugh. Bow Wow was decent. And yes...Solange

July 24, 2009

George Kiriyama

Super Reviewer

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