The Story:
This road trip flick focuses on two young boys from the ghetto who are envious of their rich classmates when summer hits and everyone begins going on vacation. So the two shrewd friends try any way they can to go on their own trip. They go to the airport and tell the airline clerk that their parents were illegal black aliens from Africa who left without them (even though only one of the boys is African-American!), and they need to be flown to Africa right away. They stow away in a family's camper in order to get to the beach—but when they discover their destination isn't the beach, they find themselves deserted in the thick of nature, and must now find there way back home, all the while encountering a variety of situations that help strengthen their bond as friends. I felt very much like I was watching a modern telling of Huck Finn. Modern and more mature. Although not a "mature audiences only" film, it was definitely not for children.

The subplot of the film focuses on the one boy's older brother, an extremely rebellious teen who is often getting arrested for some serious petty crimes, and who is a huge disappointment to his father, with whom he has a strained relationship. This subplot is developed much closer to the end of the film, and by then seems a bit forced, but it still works. Once the two young boys runaway on their excursion, the older brother realizes that his free-spirited attitude is having a huge impact on the younger brother who idolizes him and is becoming just as rebellious. And that adds a nice balance to the two younger characters, for while this boy is always causing trouble, the African-American boy is the more reasonable of the two, and often has to reel him in. It's a very real 'opposites-attract' scenario.

Mixing elements of social commentary with humor, poignancy, and life lessons, this movie is thoroughly enjoyable. It does, however, play out like a long after school special with some colorful language and themes not appropriate for children.

The DVD

Video:
The film is anamorphic widescreen, and I felt like I was sitting in a really nice theater while watching it. I found the picture quality to be so perfect I was straining my eyes just in an attempt to find any flaws! Perfect colors, good flesh tones, sharp, clear images. There is the slightest hint of specks now and then in the print, but it's barely noticeable. Put this one in progressive scan and you will be amazed.

Sound:
You get the option of Dolby 5.1 or Dolby 2.0 Stereo. Both audio tracks are excellent. In 5.1 surround, the back speakers are utilized to the fullest. And the 2-channel stereo track is also well-distributed, with clean separation. The film itself is in French, but you can turn on or off English subtitles.

Extras:
For starters, note that when you turn subtitles on in the main setup menu, they carry through to the bonus features!

Deleted Scenes—two scenes, these are presented in letterbox rather than being anamorphic. The audio is mono, and the volume drops drastically, which is unfortunate, since the feature itself shines in both video and audio. The scenes themselves are nothing detrimental, I could take them or leave them.

Casting Sessions—this looked more like rehearsals of the opening to me, showing the cast and crew being filmed while running through the scene. Uninteresting.

Short Film that Inspired The Feature—this short film was pretty long, and it felt like the same exact movie with a different cast. Even much of the dialogue was exactly word for word. One thing I actually liked better about this film is that it was a bit more edgy. The fact that the kids were ghetto was a little more obvious—they were sort of watered down and purified in the full film. This shorter version explored more of the pre-adolescent identity development, including sexual angst.

Making of—this is one of those interesting features that shows you exactly how the magic of movie making is accomplished. I'm always a fan of these behind-the-scenes clips.

Trailers–five trailers presented in a combination of anamorphic widescreen and letterbox. No subtitles, but also no dialogue. The trailers were presented with English promo copy popping up on the screen.

Tales from the Orphanage—contact information (phone number/URL) of the film company.

Final Thoughts:
We Need a Vacation is an engrossing, funny, smart coming of age movie about two young boys growing up in the ghetto who want to grow up too soon—and set out to make it happen by planning their own adventurous getaway. It is also a commentary on human nature and how it is affected by social settings.