DISASTER HOLIDAY

Name: DISASTER HOLIDAY
Item: DISASTER HOLIDAY
Author: Review

"A Comedic Road-Trip Disaster"

Content: -1 Caution advised for older children, including teenagers, and sensitive adults.

Entertainment Quality:

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

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What You Need To Know:

DISASTER HOLIDAY is a South African road-trip comedy movie produced by Netflix. When Joseph, a workaholic father, promises to take his children on an exotic vacation, his plans are thrown into chaos. He must attend a mandatory work meeting on the same weekend as his trip or risk getting fired. Meanwhile, Joseph's ex-wife threatens to take custody of their three children if the vacation goes downhill. Joseph tries to keep the meeting a top secret from his family. Moreover, the family hits many literal and metaphorical roadblocks. Will Joseph be able to keep his family together?

DISASTER HOLIDAY is an infuriating slog of a movie. The acting is wooden, the characters are annoying, and the script is of amateur quality. The cinematography and general comedic delivery are subpar at best. The movie has several uplifting messages such as forgiveness, healing wounds of broken families, and a father owning up to his mistakes. However, this story is marred with gross-out humor, mild violence, and road rage. As a result, MOVIEGUIDE ® advises viewers to avoid this "disaster" of a movie.

Content:

(Ab, C, BB, HH, L, V, MM)

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

A strong humanistic worldview with Christian-adjacent values, the main character is divorced and is married to a second wife, the main character struggles to balance his work life and family life, the father takes responsibility for his mistakes, the father strives to make amends with his ex-wife and his second wife, the father and his children develop a strong emotional bond, the children forgive their father for his lies, and the family works together to save their father’s job;

Foul Language:

Light foul language such as “hell” and “damn”;

Violence:

Mild violence throughout, the father drives an SUV into a ditch and a lake, characters race each other at high speeds on congested roads, a traffic officer rushes through oncoming traffic, a father is thrown into a temporary prison, and a family cracks the frame of a bed;

Sex:

No sex, but the second wife announces she is ready to have a child with the main character;

Nudity:

The father’s ex-wife and current wife wear revealing dresses with cleavage, but otherwise, no nudity;

Alcohol Use:

No alcohol;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

No smoking or illegal drugs; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:

The father sends text messages while driving his car (at least three times in this movie), a girl urinates herself at least twice on screen, a boy prioritizes his Instagram livestreams over helping his family, the children wander off the road without their parents’ consent, a man is thrown in prison by mistake, and a man breaks the speed limit (he gets a speeding ticket).

More Detail:

DISASTER HOLIDAY is a South African road-trip comedy movie produced by Netflix. When Joseph, a workaholic father, promises to take his children on an exotic vacation, his plans are thrown into chaos. He must attend a mandatory work meeting on the same weekend as his trip or risk getting fired. Meanwhile, Joseph’s ex-wife threatens to take custody of their three children if the vacation goes downhill. Joseph tries to keep the meeting top secret from his family. Moreover, the family hits many literal and metaphorical roadblocks. Will Joseph be able to keep his family together?

Set in modern-day South Africa, Joseph is a marketing executive at a prestigious toilet paper company. Joseph prioritizes his work over his three children, often showing up late to their school events. Joseph’s ex-wife threatens to take custody of their children. Joseph promises to take his children on holiday to Zanzibar and prove he’s worthy of history. If he does not fulfill his agreement, his ex-wife will revoke the custody agreement.

Meanwhile, Joseph’s marketing boss orders him to present a new advertising pitch. But there is a catch: he must show the pitch on the same weekend as his family vacation, in Durban instead of Zanzibar. If he fails, his co-worker will usurp his promotion. Not wanting to disappoint his family, Joseph keeps his corporate assignment a secret.

Joseph, his three teenage children, and his second wife of two years embark on a road trip to Durban. They face car problems, tourist traps, and other obstacles. Moreover, Joseph’s competitive co-worker teases him along the journey. The holiday soon deteriorates into chaos, almost fracturing the dysfunctional family. Will Joseph be able to keep up the facade?

DISASTER HOLIDAY is an admirable yet tedious attempt at an original road trip comedy. The script is highly derivative of American road trip comedies such as RV and ARE WE THERE YET? You have a not-so-perfect father, his whiny children, and a nagging wife who questions his every move. The movie’s attempts at comedy are poorly executed. The dialogue is stilted, and the big “emotional” moments fall flatter than a flat tire. The only major saving grace is its moral content.

In terms of worldview, DISASTER HOLIDAY has strong Christian-adjacent values. The main character learns to put his family first, earn their trust, and take responsibility for his mistakes. Joseph is twice married but tries to repair his relationship with his ex-wife. Moreover, Joseph and his children practice the values of persistence, bonding, and honesty. The movie doesn’t explicitly mention God or Jesus, but Joseph “redeems” himself by telling the truth about his failures as a parent. Ultimately, he rallies his family together, and they eventually save his job.

However, the story raises several moral red flags. There are two jokes about Joseph’s daughter urinating herself in public. Joseph’s son is an Instagram influencer who prioritizes his live streams over helping his family. At several points, Joseph’s children wander off without his consent. In three separate scenes, Joseph sends multiple texts while driving his car. In all those cases, he almost crashes into oncoming traffic. Moreover, there are scenes of Joseph and his family frantically driving through crowded streets. He gets a speeding ticket, but it does not excuse this movie’s commitment to reckless driving.

The last positive for DISASTER HOLIDAY is its South African setting. The movie was produced and shot on location in Durban and its surrounding regions. The characters are trilingual, speaking English, Zulu, and Xhosa without a hitch. The comedy and characters are exaggerated, but the movie uniquely portrays its home country. As such, it is a refreshing change of pace compared to the usual comedic “drivel” shoved onto Netflix.