Johnson Family Vacation (2004)

(On TV, April 2021) It’s not as if Johnson Family Vacation is a particularly smart movie, but its charm is to deliver almost exactly what viewers can expect from its first few minutes. Heck, maybe even from a cast list and the plot premise, as Cedric the Entertainer plays a family dad heading a few states west to attend a family reunion, driving all the way there with his estranged wife (Vanessa Williams), three kids (the two eldest being played by Shad “Bow Wow” Moss and Solange Knowles) and an enormous vehicle with accessories he doesn’t particularly care for. If you’re thinking, “black-cast road trip family comedy, lowest-common denominator,” then I have nothing to add. An episodic comedy in which several segments end with the family running back to their car, Johnson Family Vacation doesn’t aim high, but does hit its targets. Most of the jokes are drawn along very predictable lines, but if director Christopher Erskin has one ounce of wittiness to his plan for the film, it’s in the way he plays with viewers: You know it’s coming and I know it’s coming and let’s see how long we can draw this out. The cast of a few supporting roles occasionally adds interest, whether it’s seeing Steve Harvey as a family antagonist, Shannon Elizabeth as a hitchhiker or Jason Momoa in a small role as a Native American hunk. The incredibly familiar premise will have you wondering if this is a remake of anything, but apparently not — although Cedric the Entertainer seems to be aping his performance on Chevy Chase in the Vacation series. There isn’t much to say about the perfunctory way the film is executed, completely aligned with the way broad comedies are filmed. It’s not much, but Johnson Family Vacation clearly knows what it’s contractually obliged to deliver, and only expends the minimum effort required to do that.