Warning: This piece contains spoilers.
The highly anticipated movie adaptation of Emily Henry’s beloved second adult book, People We Meet on Vacation, directed by Brett Haley, premiered on Netflix on Jan. 9. The number one New York Times bestselling story follows Poppy and Alex, two best friends who meet every summer for over a decade to share a week-long vacation. That is, until their friendship falls apart after a tumultuous trip to Italy, during which they almost kiss. Narrated through flashbacks, the film revisits their past vacations while simultaneously exploring their current trip to Barcelona, where they attempt to rekindle the broken friendship that once nearly evolved into something more.
Leading the charge is My Lady Jane actor Emily Bader as Poppy Wright, alongside The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes veteran Tom Blyth as Alex Nilsen. The movie depicts the leads’ unfolding friendship and blossoming romance through picturesque scenery and palpable chemistry. These features ensure the film lives up to the quality of Henry’s work, which has become a phenomenon in recent years.
With charming warmth reminiscent of classic 90s romcoms like 13 Going on 30 and Notting Hill, the film masterfully employs beloved romance tropes, such as friends-to-lovers and forced proximity. Poppy is bright and adventurous, while Alex is steady and dependable. While she wanders the world, he remains in their rural hometown. Although they seem like polar opposites, they form a strong bond that deepens through their yearly trips to places like Squamish, New Orleans, and Tuscany. In this classic tale of opposites-attract that rivals that of Harry Burns and Sally Albright in Rob Reiner’s When Harry Met Sally, Poppy’s bright energy balances Alex’s tranquillity. Yet, on their annual trips, Alex reveals a different and carefree side to his personality, which Poppy affectionately calls “Vacation Alex.”
“I’m only weird when I’m with you,” Alex tells Poppy in what stands out as the film’s strongest scene, after the characters complete a dance routine whilst playing dress-up as newlyweds. The film brilliantly depicts a deep connection between two people who have grown to love each other over a decade, an intimacy many of us hopeless romantics yearn to experience someday. Bader’s vulnerability and Blyth’s swoon-worthy performance make the almost two-hour run time pass like a blur.
Despite minor changes, People We Meet on Vacation, remains a faithful adaptation of the original work. One slight weak point lies in its treatment of Sarah, Alex’s on-again-off-again girlfriend, played by The White Lotus’s Sarah Catherine Hook. The book’s explanation of Sarah and Alex’s problems is replaced by a stronger emphasis on Alex and Poppy’s relationship in the movie.
Moreover, Alex proposes to Sarah in the film, a moment that never occurs in the book, and their relationship also has fewer issues in the adaptation. These changes make the movie seem like a horror story from Sarah’s perspective: The film casts her as a nice and slightly naïve woman stuck between two best friends who have very few boundaries with each other. She seems like a woman whose long-term boyfriend—who she loves deeply—appears to have been in love with another woman for a long time.
After watching the film, I felt deep pity for Sarah, which was absent when reading the book. Still, the movie gives her a happy ending, and as Poppy and Alex finally find their way back to each other, she, too, finds what she wanted by becoming a flight attendant and leaving her small town. People We Meet on Vacation is a fun and easy watch that may inspire you to book a vacation to Europe and perhaps even risk ruining a close friendship for the sake of love. The film stands out as a classic romantic comedy that leaves audiences longing for a love like that of Poppy and Alex.
