Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Trippin’ with the Kandasamys’ on Netflix, Where A Couples Retreat Unexpectedly Turns Into A Family Reunion

The third installment of the Indo-South African comedy franchise is here. Are the laughs as big as the films that put them on the map?

TRIPPIN’ WITH THE KANDASAMYS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Feeling unappreciated in their marriages, best friends Jennifer (Jailoshini Naidoo) and Shanti (Maeshni Naicker) plan a getaway with their husbands. But what’s meant to be a couples retreat turns into an extended family reunion where jealousy rages on and family bonds are put to the test.

What Will It Remind You Of?: With the beautiful locale and various family members coming together, Trippin’ With the Kandasamys will give you the vibes of all of the best family vacation movies (Adam Sandler’s Grown Ups comes to mind).

Performance Worth Watching: Mariam Bassa plays Aaya, the matriarchal grandmother who fills in all of the serious moments with perfectly timed comedic delivery or physical comedy. Dressed in a sari and looking slightly frail, she is unassuming but ultimately steals the show in every frame she’s in.

Memorable Dialogue: Not quite dialogue, but when Shanti and Jen are stalking their nemesis Baby in the woods, their pathetic impersonations of wildlife meant to intimidate her are memorable for how committed they are to the bit.

Sex and Skin: Nothing explicit, though Prishen and Jodi’s thwarted attempts to get pregnant push the movie to the edge of going there.

Our Take: I’ll admit that I haven’t seen any of the previous Kandasamy films, but it was still quite fun to drop in on the extended family on vacation. My experience with the Indo-South African diaspora is also limited, so it was exciting to see how this underrepresented part of the diaspora balances their hyphenated identity (a Diwali dance number at the end solidifies the ties to India, and mirrors how many Indian-Americans express their identity, too).

The jokes are fun, especially the ones delivered by Bassa. Both Jailoshini Naidoo and Maeshni Naicker are winning and funny in their roles at the helm of the film. The duo have great chemistry, likely built by their past work together, and are welcoming to even those who haven’t kept up with the Kandasamy journey thus far.

While I felt like the climax of the film—an argument at an oceanside dinner that reveals all of the men’s secrets—arrived at a throwaway explanation that didn’t fully land, the ultimate resolution between warring spouses felt more earned. In a nice sight gag, Shanti’s husband brings her tea for likely the first time in their marriage, suggesting that this trip finally allowed him to see the light regarding how he’s taken her for granted for years.

It’s not a perfect film by any means (the obsession around having babies to complete a family was a touch too traditional for my liking), but it’s a fun enough premise that works if you don’t think that hard about it.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Even if you haven’t seen the previous installments, this is a fun time that’s got more than a few good jokes.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in New York City. Her work has appeared on Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, and Brown Girl Magazine. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.

Watch Trippin' With The Kandasamys on Netflix