A specially customized 2004 Lincoln Navigator shares the spotlight with an all-star cast in Fox Searchlight's family comedy Johnson Family Vacation, opening today nationwide. Affectionately dubbed "Mr. Hip Hop" the Lincoln Navigator joins a high-spirited American family in a cross-country comic adventure to attend a family reunion.
The journey has its twists. When the conservative and slightly compulsive Nate Johnson (played by Cedric the Entertainer), wants to take the Johnson family on a cross-country driving vacation from Los Angeles to Caruthersville, Missouri, in luxury and style, he chooses the Lincoln Navigator for the trip. But in this tale of misadventure, even that doesn't turn out as planned. When Nate takes his Navigator to get an 8-track player installed, he mistakenly winds up with a totally tricked-out Navigator intended for a rap star -- complete with a Burberry interior, spinning rims, over-the-top hydraulic system, video game consoles, and a navigation system that runs off at the mouth.
Playing opposite Cedric's prototypical "Dad" character is singer-actress Vanessa Williams in the role of Dorothy Johnson, Nate's estranged wife. Rapper-actor Bow Wow plays the rapper-wanna-be son, DJ. Rising star Solange Knowles plays the rebellious Lolita-like teenage daughter, Nikki, and seven-year-old actress Gabby Soleil plays the youngest Johnson, Destiny. The Lincoln Navigator, operating as a character all its own, virtually becomes the sixth member of the Johnson family.
"The script required a vehicle that a real American family, like the Johnsons, would believably take on a family vacation -- combining functionality with comfort and luxury," says John Fitzpatrick, general marketing manager, Lincoln Mercury. "But the story also required the vehicle to be one a rap star might choose to customize. As numerous celebrities and families alike have chosen the Navigator to meet their needs, it possessed the required range in appeal."