“We started off wanting to do a film about family,” explains Earl. “Not just our family, but everyone’s family and the one thing we realized that most families have in common is the family vacation. It seems that every person in America has their own family vacation story, across the board, in all demographics. In fact, we couldn’t even finish pitching our script without someone jumping in and saying ‘That reminds me of this one time we packed up the family dog and . . .’ But that’s what we wanted: a movie that is accessible to all ages and cultures.” Once the Jones brothers began writing, they decided to put a new twist on the typical vacation scenario: instead of a family breaking apart in the course of a tumultuous trip, the Joneses chose to bring the feuding, fuming Johnsons closer together – in spite of themselves.

Comments Todd: “Most family trips start off with everyone getting along and by the end of the trip they’re trying to kill each other. The Johnsons, on the other hand, start off wanting to kill each other but as time goes on, the family comes more and more together. This makes it very different from what you usually see in this kind of comedy. The Johnsons have their quirks but they also reveal that there’s a lot of love underneath the mayhem. And I think the point is that sure, families might be difficult and funny, but they’re still the most important thing in life.”

As patriarch of the Johnson family, the Jones brothers created the riotously obstinate Nate Johnson – the ultimate dad’s dad, a loving, caring, charming man who just happens to be a bit too stubborn to see when he’s driving the family off a cliff, literally! When it came to Nate, the Joneses only ever had one actor in mind: Cedric The Entertainer, who first came to the fore as one of the nation’s leading stand-up comics in KINGS OF COMEDY and then won acclaim as an actor with the critically admired indie hit BARBERSHOP.

Says Todd R. Jones: “Cedric IS Nate. He’s a guy anybody can relate to, a guy that’s just like everybody’s dad. He loves his family, but he also thinks he’s always right, that things always have to be done his way, and that gets him into quite a bit of trouble. He brings a lot of humor, but he also puts some real heart into the movie.”

Adds Earl: “Cedric’s brand of comedy is exactly what we had in mind for this film: smart yet poignant. We had this feeling that if we could get the script to him, he would just dial it right in, and thank God we were fortunate enough to do that.”

To get their completed screenplay to Cedric, the Jones brothers first brought it to producers Paul Hall and Wendy Park, who were immediately enchanted. “We were impressed because this is a story anyone can relate to who is or ever has been part of a family,” says Park. “Even though most families love one another, we all know they also get on each other’s nerves and drive each other crazy. At the end of the day, this film is about how you learn to live with each other anyway, and laugh at the craziness of it all.”

Continues Paul Hall: “I have a family and I have a daughter about Nikki’s age in the film, and I thought the script really captured the true family dynamic. It resonated very strongly for me. The Johnsons might be a bit wacky but they’re a lot like all of us.”

Eric C. Rhone, long-time collaborator with Cedric The Entertainer and producer of several of his comedy projects to date, was equally won over. “This script was a clear winner for Cedric,” he observes. “It very much fits with his unique personality and style: playing the Every Man, the family guy, the funnyman with heart and soul. It embodies all the things that Cedric possesses and cares a lot about,” he says.

Cedric himself saw JOHNSON FAMILY VACATION as the perfect vehicle for his first major starring role in a feature film. “This was that rare script that had my kind of sensibility to it,” he says. “It’s a comedy based in reality, not too crass or over-the-top, but with a really good energy. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a vacation-mishap movie, too, and I loved the concept.”

Sums up Paul Hall: “I see Cedric as a comedy film star in the vein of Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, John Belushi – someone who’s huggable, loveable and talented enough to be at the center of a great adventure like this one.”

When it came to finding a director for JOHNSON FAMILY VACATION, the producers decided to give a newcomer a chance: Christopher Erskin. After interviewing dozens of up-and-coming directors, the producers were impressed with Erskin’s technical savvy and the hip, broad style of his popular music videos and commercials.

Erskin, too, was taken right away with the script. “I saw that it would make a fun, PGstyle, family film, the kind that hasn’t really been around for awhile,” he comments. “I also saw it as a love letter written back to America about the great family road trip, and all of the wonderful things that the road trip is about: laughs, bonding and discovery.

On the Road: Meet the Johnson Family

The JOHNSON FAMILY VACATION is destined for mayhem from the very start – if only because it involves the Johnsons, a high-spirited modern American family of opinionated individualists who know what they want and are always ready and willing to battle one another to get it. “The Johnsons are living out the American Dream,” says Eric C. Rhone. “They’re successful, loving and they mean well. And yet they still have to go through the struggles we all go through, they still have to juggle their values and their hopes for the future and their need to get along with one another. Only they do it in some pretty hysterical ways.”

At the head of the Johnson family – at least in his own mind – is Nate, whom Cedric The Entertainer describes as “a pretty conservative guy who thinks that success alone has made him a good father and a good husband – only he’s about to learn there’s a lot more to it.” When Nate commandeers a car trip to Missouri, it looks like it might just implode the family once and for all, but instead, at the end of the day, Nate grows closer to his son, gains new respect for his daughters and even rekindles the flames of romance with his wife. “I think a lot of the fun of this movie is watching Nate try to win his wife over and get his family back together. He goes on a real journey,” says Cedric.

For the cast and crew, working with Cedric was a lesson in the spontaneity of comedy.

“With Cedric, every word that comes out of his mouth is funny,” says producer Wendy Park. “But he never gives the feeling that he’s putting on a show. He’s so real. And he wasn’t just the Dad in our movie – he was also the Dad figure on the set. He was always supportive, kind and an overall great guy.”

Adds Christopher Erskin: “Cedric is a guy who appeals to everyone. Whether you’re a truck driver or an executive, if you’re rich, poor, white or black, it doesn’t matter. You identify with Cedric because the way he approaches his struggles is just so incredibly Every Man. He’s a wonderful comic hero.”

Playing opposite Cedric’s quintessential Dad is Vanessa Williams as an all-American Mom, Dorothy Johnson, a loving but feisty wife and mother who has moved out of the family house in order to have the freedom to go after her own dream of returning to college. As Vanessa puts it: “Nate and Dorothy aren’t quite estranged but they are having a little ‘moment’ in their marriage. You could say that deep down, Dorothy knows Nate has a good heart, but she also sees that he’s just not paying attention to her or the kids, and that’s not good enough.”

Although she was excited by the film’s family-oriented spirit (she is the mother of five children herself with Los Angeles Laker Rick Fox), Vanessa was mostly drawn to JOHNSON FAMILY VACATION because the script had her on the floor with laughter. “I really thought it couldn’t get much funnier and when you add in working with Cedric, it seemed like a no-brainer to take the role,” she explains. “If you’ve ever been stuck with a family in a car anytime in your life, you know there’s going to be tension, adventures and drama along the way and this film has it all.”

Indeed, the film brought back powerful memories of Vanessa’s own family escapades. “I remember going to visit my grandmother, riding in our Econoline Ford van on an 8-hour trip, and the whole way I was in the bench in the back with my brother. I remember eating cold chicken in a brown paper bag, playing animal bingo and stopping at roadside shops for rock candy. We had our rough moments, but overall, it was a real bonding experience,” she recalls.

Says Eric C. Rhone of Vanessa: “She brings integrity to the role of Dorothy. Because she’s a mother of children about the same age as the Johnson kids, she had a very organic approach and a real instinctual understanding of motherhood and both the challenges and joys that go along with it. There’s also a tremendous strength in her. We see her fighting Nate for her independence, but never neglecting what’s most important to her, which is her love for the family.”

Nate and Dorothy’s kids are a lively crew who love their parents but are frustrated by the constant family in-fighting. Nate’s biggest rival in the family, apart from his wife, is D.J., his only son, who dreams of being a hip-hop artist despite being warned by his father that hip-hop doesn’t come with medical and dental benefits. To play D.J., the filmmakers cast real-life teen rap star Bow Wow, who first came to fore as a movie star in the hit family film “Like Mike.” “It was a real coup for us to get Bow Wow,” says producer Rhone. “He’s become such a huge star with millions of fans around the world. But I think he’s also very much like this character – a kid coming of age before our very eyes.”

From the minute he came on board, Bow Wow seemed to have an electric connection with Cedric The Entertainer that made them perfect comic foils. “The chemistry between the two surprised everyone,” says Christopher Erskin. “With Cedric playing the funny man and Bow Wow playing the straight man it was like an old comedy duo, like a Martin and Lewis type thing. Their timing was dead on and it was magic every time they were together. I really believe this kid is going to be huge.”

For Cedric, playing father to Bow Wow came easy. “D.J. is supposed to be this kid who’s having a good time, who’s into the whole hip-hop vibe, who’s got his own ideas on how the world works and who you can’t tell anything to cause he’s going to do his own thing, anyway – and that’s really Bow Wow, so he was great,” he says.

Bow Wow sees his character as a “kid who just wants to get his parents back together, who just wants to be a family again.” But he’s also a kid on a mission. “D.J.’s trying to transform his dad by getting him to come over to the hip side,” he explains. “He wants to introduce him to hip-hop culture but his Dad just isn’t feeling it. D.J. really loves his father to death, but it bugs him that we’re in the year 2003 and his Dad is still listening to Eight Tracks.” In the film’s finale, Bow Wow and D.J. finally get to do their thing when D.J. raps as part of the Family Talent Show – and shines like a true rising star. “That part was the easiest in the film,” says Bow Wow. “I just went out there and laid down my rap.”

Another high point for Bow Wow was getting to hang out with off-screen friend Solange Knowles, who plays his older sister Nikki in the film. Solange herself is the younger sister of superstar singer-actress Beyoncé Knowles. A rising multi-talent in her own right, Solange makes her motion picture debut with JOHNSON FAMILY VACATION.

“Until this script came along, I hadn’t seen any movie roles I really loved or wanted to do,” says Solange. “But this one was perfect, an opportunity to be involved with a great story and a fantastic cast. I mean what could be better than to make my first movie with Cedric and Vanessa and Bow Wow? And the fact that it’s a family movie makes it even more exciting for me, so I had to jump right on it.”

Solange could easily relate to her strong, savvy yet somewhat rebellious sixteen year-old character. “I see Nikki as going through that ‘mad at the world’ stage -- so you don’t want to mess with her!” Solange sums up. “But she’s a cool girl. She’s creative and artsy and I could really identify with that part of her. Plus I like that Nikki and the whole family discover that they can work together to solve their problems. I believe in that kind of message.”

In fact for Solange, there was only one seriously tough aspect to the role: keeping a straight face. “The hardest part of the whole movie was not laughing when there were so many funny people in every scene,” she admits. “I was always getting in trouble for cracking up!”

On the contrary, director Christopher Erskin says Solange was a delight to work with throughout the production. “Solange came into this, her very first movie, and turned in a marvelous performance,” comments Erskin. “She brought nuances that tap into things only 16 year-olds know about, and she brought a great sense of energy and realism to the role.”

Adds producer Eric C. Rhone: “Solange has a freeness and independence to her personality that fits with Nikki. I think she does a lot in the role to push Nate into respecting his daughter. Through her, he begins to see that it’s OK that his little girl is now a beautiful young woman.”

Finally rounding out the family is 7-year-old Gabby Soleil as the littlest Johnson, fittingly named Destiny. Says Eric C. Rhone: “We loved Gabby because she’s basically a 21-year-old in a tiny little girl’s body. That little girl practically ran the set. She’s a bundle of joy, but she’s also very smart and very talented, and she kept the entire cast and crew on our toes.”

Detour: Stops Along the Way

As the Johnson family rolls across the United States, they wind up bumping into one twist, turn and eccentric character after another, from pesky motel managers to angry cops, from indignant Native Americans to slovenly chefs.

One decision that backfires big-time on Nate is his sudden urge to pick up a sexy young hitchhiker, the alluring Chrishelle, who turns out to be heavily into crafts – witchcraft, that is. Christopher Erskin describes the characters as “having a kind of spiritual Tourette’s syndrome.” He continues: “She’s dealing with the kind of dark forces you do not want to have in the car with you on a family trip. It’s basically the Devil riding with the Johnsons, and she almost manages to unravel the family.”

Chrishelle is played by Shannon Elizabeth, of AMERICAN PIE fame, in one of her most playful roles to date. “We were thrilled to get Shannon,” says producer Paul Hall. “I think her fans are really going to be surprised by this role and she’s wonderful in it. She does her best to disrupt the JOHNSON FAMILY VACATION, but even she can’t quite come between them.”

Finally, the Johnsons make it to the Missouri reunion – but their trials and tribulations are only just beginning. Now Nate is thrust into battle as he faces off in a sibling rivalry rumble with his brother, Mack, who has managed to win the Family of the Year contest for four years straight. Playing Mack Johnson is the popular stand-up comic Steve Harvey, who previously collaborated and toured with Cedric The Entertainer for years on the comedy stage, where they developed a close-knit comic rapport. “Basically, Cedric makes me funnier and I hope I make him funnier,” sums up Harvey.

Says Cedric about reuniting with Harvey: “We used to go on stage together doing freestyles and improvs, so we have an automatic comic chemistry now whenever we meet. I was so happy to have him be part of this film. You know, you really can’t stop Steve. So you either get on and ride the train with him or get out the way! He is just his own ball of energy bursting forth with joke after joke after joke.”

Harvey describes the character of Mack as a man with a typical older brother superiority syndrome. “As Nate’s older brother, I’ve been better than him at everything my entire life,” he explains. “Now, we’re just two adult men fighting like six year-olds.” For Harvey, part of the fun of playing Mack is doing comedy for a broader audience than his more risqué stand-up routines. “I love that this is a movie for everybody,” he says. “And it was fun for me and Cedric to prove that we can be just as funny without profanity.”

For the rest of the cast and crew, just watching Steve Harvey and Cedric The Entertainer riff off one another was pure pleasure. “When Steve and Cedric were on the set, it was like watching real-life brothers,” says Christopher Erskin. “They know each other so well, and can improvise off each other so brilliantly, and they can take any joke and instantly spin it a different way. Once Nate and Mack start at each other, the scene becomes like a great Ali-Frasier battle of wits.”

Adds producer Paul Hall: “The best thing about Steve and Cedric is the way they push each other to be funnier and funnier. They push each other to places that most likely nobody else could get them to go!”

Erskin gave Cedric The Entertainer and Steve Harvey the leeway to follow their comedic instincts wherever they wanted and just have fun with the roles. This fit in with his whole comedy philosophy – which is that the very best comedy is always made in the moment. Throughout the film, in fact, Erskin encouraged the entire ensemble cast to improvise their own inspired sequences of pandemonium and comedy.

“Comedy has to be spontaneous and what’s brilliant about our cast is that they were just so happy to try anything,” Erskin says. “I would often say to them ‘just surprise me’ and the stuff they came up with was amazing every single time.”

The Ride: About the Johnson Family Car

Nate Johnson wants to take the Johnson family to Missouri in style – in his brand new luxury SUV, a classy, black Lincoln Navigator. But even that doesn’t turn out as planned. When Nate takes the car in to get an 8-track tape player installed, he winds up with a total hip-hop overhaul that offends his far more conventional sensibilities. Suddenly, he’s riding around in a tricked-out car with spinning rims, video game consoles and a running-at-the-mouth on-board navigation system. To create the full look of the Johnson family car, the filmmakers, like Nate, took the Johnson’s Navigator to the celebrity car customizers at 310 Motoring, who have designed cars for countless celebrities. There, the SUV was rigged to the heights of hip-hop perfection. As producer Eric C. Rhone notes: “You’ve never seen a Navigator so tricked out.” Says co-screenwriter Todd R. Jones: “From the beginning we always thought of the Navigator as being another character in the movie, another part of the family along for the ride. Of course, Nate hates the whole hip hop world and this car is Mr. Hip Hop, so he feels kind of trapped in it. But the interesting thing is that the car gets him through this harrowing trip, and he starts to develop a respect for it.”

Christopher Erskin sums up the appeal of the car this way: “It was our version of THE LOVE BUG. It’s had to escape an 18 wheeler that tries to crash into it, a mishap with a cement truck, and a run-in with a motorcycle cop, among other things, but somehow it gets the family to Missouri. It helps the family survive, and you have to kind of love that about it. Even Nate has to acknowledge that there might be something good about hip hop if it led to this car.” In the end, the production used four different Navigators including one with high-tech, over-the-top hydraulics and another with “three-wheel motion” that allowed it to take the kind of ultra-sharp turns only a family being chased needs to maneuver through. Because so much of JOHNSON FAMILY VACATION takes place in the Navigator, many scenes were shot on a stage, in front of a green screen, inside a specially modified Navigator with parts of the body cutaway to allow all kinds of different interior camera angles. (Meanwhile, a second unit of photography traveled across America bringing back footage that became the cross-country background to the Johnson’s turbulent trip.)

Spending so much time inside the tight spaces of the car seemed a fitting challenge for cast and crew. “It was a transforming experience,” says Christopher Erskin. “And that’s the great thing about the American road trip – it has always transformed American families. You set out in one direction but you end up somewhere different, you end up not quite the same. Nine times out of ten, I think families wind up for the better. Maybe husbands hug their wives a little more, brothers are a little nicer to sisters and the family starts to have fun together again.”