Released on Jan. 9, Netflix’s “People We Meet on Vacation” takes viewers on a romantic adventure across the globe, providing an escape to a rose-tinted world that fits the bill of a classic rom-com.
Directed by Brett Haley, “People We Meet on Vacation” is an adaptation of the 2021 titular novel by romance author Emily Henry. The film follows Alex (Tom Blyth) and Poppy (Emily Bader), who originally met in college and began a friendship despite their seemingly incompatible personalities. Every summer after they met, Alex and Poppy traveled to a new destination until one vacation went awry. The pair did not speak for two years until they reunited at Alex’s brother’s wedding in Barcelona.
Through a series of flashbacks, viewers follow along as the pair’s friendship develops during their increasingly divergent lives — Alex remains in an on-again, off-again relationship with his high school sweetheart, while Poppy forsakes their hometown to become a travel writer. At the wedding, Poppy and Alex are forced to confront what their friendship truly meant and whether it is salvageable.
Both Bader and Blyth offer stellar performances. In moments of friendship between their characters, their acting is easy and natural. But when tensions rise, they achieve the sensuality and chemistry that is necessary to sell a romance.
Beyond the acting, the film’s screenplay itself is beautifully done, with dialogue that flows smoothly. Despite the frequent display of travel, the film is not one hour and 49 minutes of an aggrandized depiction of a luxury. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Poppy’s job pays for her trips, and it becomes clear that her nomadic lifestyle is a front for her avoidant personality. Poppy and Alex’s trips aren’t about the luxury destinations — in the new places they visit, they uncover parts of themselves that couldn’t exist in their hometown.
The film’s diverse settings are highlighted by a distinct, uniform color palette, accompanied by an astonishing soundtrack including Robyn’s “Hang With Me” and boygenius’s “Cool About It.”
The film’s beauty is in its simplicity: it does not reinvent the rom-com wheel and depends on tried-and-true tropes from the genre. For lovers of the genre, the film is rife with references to iconic rom-com films. Poppy and Alex’s first encounter is a wink to the 1989 classic “When Harry Met Sally,” and Poppy’s dress reveal in Barcelona mirrors that of Andie Anderson, the protagonist played by Kate Hudson in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” Even the design of Poppy’s character seems to match the whimsical yet avoidant Maggie Carpenter, the lead played by Julia Roberts in “Runaway Bride.” The film does not lose its luster because of these similarities. Instead, viewers are guaranteed an experience that will satisfy their expectations for the genre.
But the film misses the mark on a key component of the genre: the third act redemption. The film’s low point forces Poppy and Alex to confront a very real roadblock to their potential romantic bliss, to which many viewers may relate: their wildly different lifestyles. But the film’s resolution offers a lackluster mediation of this issue, forcing viewers to contend with how much one is willing to betray themselves and their dreams for the sake of a relationship.
There’s nothing particularly standout about “People We Meet on Vacation,” but it is not meant to be groundbreaking cinema. Instead, it is an escape from the chaos of the real world. The film reminds viewers that love grows in the most unlikely of places — you just have to be willing to leave the house to find it.
Alyssia Ouhocine is a Senior Staff Writer covering Arts & Culture. Hailing from Bayonne, New Jersey, she is concentrating in English and History with a particular interest in Algerian history and literature. When she’s not writing, she can be found listening to music and sending Google Calendar invites.
