‘People We Meet on Vacation’ review: Flights of fancy

Based on the popular novel from romance writer Emily Henry, the Netflix film People We Meet on Vacation, directed by Brett Haley, is a flawed yet eager-to-please adaptation. Piecing together a highlight reel of the book, which allowed more time for the feelings to develop between our opposites-attract leads, Poppy (Emily Bader) and Alex (Tom Blyth), the film is a breezy, charming, jet-setting rom-com that delights with strong writing and charismatic leads. That said, the Netflix of it all harms the overall product, along with a story that, in the end, could have used either better editing or more time.

We first meet the free-spirited travel writer Poppy as she’s enduring a lonely vacation for the sake of her job. She’s struck near-impossible gold with the writing gig, and she knows it. (And, obviously, there’s a level of suspension of disbelief necessary here.) However, no matter where she travels, she’s beginning to realize that the solo misadventures of an independent traveler aren’t as exciting as they once were. Namely, because her best friend, the more rigid and rule-following Alex, is no longer accompanying her.

In a moment of impulse, Poppy decides to travel to Barcelona for Alex’s brother’s wedding to force a reunion after a mysterious argument led them to spend two years without hardly ever speaking to one another. And it’s through this decision that the film sets in motion, as we jump back nine years to their first meeting.

The friendship between Poppy and Alex is immediately destined for more.

The story, adapted by Yulin Kuang, Amos Vernon, and Nunzio Randazzo, adopts a When Harry Met Sally style approach in the opening moments between the two as they travel cross-country from Boston to Ohio, both learning they grew up in the same town. They’re strikingly different: Poppy is often messy and bold, prone to whims rather than planning things out. Meanwhile, Alex is regimented and serious, going for runs each day the moment he wakes up. He has a plan; she doesn’t see the need for one.

However, despite their differences (or, more likely, because of them), the two become instant friends. And, on their first trip together, where they encounter new adventures and grow closer, they make a pact that, no matter where they are in the world, no matter who they’re with, they will get together once a year to take a trip together.

We watch as the years unfold, with Alex and Poppy growing increasingly attached, despite the on-and-off-again romance Alex has had from before college until two years before the present day, to the shallow relationships Poppy stumbles into. And throughout it all, the film never shies away from the truth: these two have feelings for one another, and everything was always pointing in that direction.

Emily Bader is vibrant and infectious.

Like most adaptations, People We Meet On Vacation suffers mainly because it removes the protagonist’s interiority. In the book, it’s clear early on how Poppy feels for Alex, even if she’s not able to articulate it. And all of the big life moments she experiences regarding her career and what she wants are more internal and thought-out, rather than resulting in significant, declarative moments. But the film does a decent job of maintaining that spirit while, forgivably, forgoing any sort of monologuing.

It means, though, that a lot of the story is driven by Alex’s obvious longing, rather than by a mutual but tentative attraction. And yet, somehow, there’s a greater gulf between us and his emotions. This is, in part, due to a chemistry that, while present, isn’t so much ignited as it is flickering between Bader and Blyth. They’re both charming actors in their own right, but the romantic tension struggles to propel the story forward, with the two seemingly more comfortable in the platonic back-and-forth between them.

And while Blyth has been a genuinely formidable actor in the past, he can’t quite reach the same sparks that Bader is able to produce as the lovable yet messy Poppy. Energetic and lively, Bader brings an infectious screen presence that makes her a worthy romantic heroine. She embodies this role – even when the film tones down just how much of a mess the character can be – and her playfulness gives weight to her and Blyth’s more carefree moments.

People We Meet on Vacation sustains a genuine sweetness throughout.

Henry’s writing is what truly gives People We Meet on Vacation its magic. Rather than dulling the edges, the film is able to capture much of what makes the book and Henry’s writing so bingeable. There’s an intoxicating quality to her best stories that infuses just enough relatability to ground some of the flightier tales. We can’t relate to someone who is traveling all over the world to write about destination weddings and ideal vacations, for one. But we can understand the wistfulness of being in your late twenties and struggling to figure out why a dream job no longer feels like the dream it once was.

There’s a sweetness to the story, too, even if it rushes through some of the most interesting parts. Alex and Poppy make for a classic pair of love interests, just different enough that they’re not dating versions of themselves, and their differences inspire the other to grow and develop. There might not be much heat, but the story’s stitching is lovable.

The direction is workmanlike, with enough of the standard Netflix qualities that rear their ugly heads in every production these days. From over-lighting the actors to force a sense of uncanny realism, to the lavish, Pinterest-board aesthetic of even the most homey, down-to-earth lodgings, the production leans too far into fantasy. That said, once again, the writing and the performances manage to bring it back. And, perhaps most importantly, at the very least, there’s a tangible sense of time and place in some of the most noteworthy scenes.

We’re in dire need of a rom-com revolution.

In many ways, People We Meet on Vacation might’ve done well with an eight-episode season rather than a movie as a means to give Poppy and Alex’s love story more room to grow and develop. And it certainly would have allowed more time spent on the specific locations of their vacations.

That said, we are in such dire need of romances right now that it’s hard to fault it. We want to bring back the era of romcoms, and, given the popularity of romance novels these days, we seem to be at a point perfectly poised for more adaptations.

Easily digestible with just enough well-earned heart and a bubbly and committed lead performance, People We Meet on Vacation goes beyond serviceable to earn its moments of delight. The film manages to engage with our gooey centers just enough to concoct the genuinely enjoyable cocktail of escapism.

People We Meet on Vacation premieres January 9 on Netflix. Watch the trailer below. 

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Images courtesy of Netflix.