Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers to “People We Meet on Vacation.”
Bestselling romance author Emily Henry’s first screen adaptation was released on Netflix earlier this month, and it’s mostly pretty good. Henry’s books are known for being fun, subversive and notably less “spicy” than other romance books on the market right now, and this film fits the bill with its fun, spunky dialogue and focus on emotional, not just physical, attraction.
“People We Meet on Vacation” is a charming romantic comedy about an unlikely pair with opposite personalities who get on each other’s nerves at first but become best friends once they realize they bring out the best in each other.
I am not usually enchanted by rom-coms, but I was compelled by this one. It was witty and believable, and the characters felt like real people who had actual reasons to like each other.
Poppy (portrayed by Emily Bader), a quirky travel journalist, and her straight-laced guy-best-friend, Alex (Tom Blyth), meet up every summer for a weeklong vacation to share their love of exploring, let loose in a new place and pretend like they’re not in love with each other.
This works until the year they both bring their significant others on the trip. Poppy has a pregnancy scare and only tells Alex, almost kisses him and then tries to play it off like she just got caught up in the moment and hasn’t wanted to kiss him for years. The next day, Alex proposes to his girlfriend. He and Poppy fight about what they want out of life, and he tells her this is their last trip together.
After two years of not speaking, the two reunite in Barcelona for Alex’s brother’s wedding, right after Alex and his fiancée have ended it for good. It’s a perfect recipe for drama, and many cliched rom-com antics ensue.
The film flashes back from summer to summer, showing how Alex comes alive because of Poppy’s influence. He allows himself to be spontaneous and take risks when he’s around her, doing things from flying in a plane for the first time to skinny dipping with complete strangers. But Poppy doesn’t change much during the film. However, as a result of their emotionally charged friendship, she realizes that the love of her friend, who sees and appreciates all of her, is more important than her desire to not be tied down.
My biggest problem with the film was, unfortunately, the climax. The big moment where they confess their love fell flat for me.
Both of them long to have their best friend back and mourn their years apart while they’re in Barcelona together, but come time for the big confession, they seem to forget they actually like each other. They both say, “I want you,” but neither party is surprised, or responds with any warmth, or says anything they actually like about each other.
Considering how dynamic their relationship was before this moment, I was disappointed by how generic this interaction was. And instead of taking time to dwell on this new development, or talk more about how they feel, which they used to be so comfortable doing, they immediately fall inside Poppy’s hotel room to hang out “as adults.”
It’s possible that this moment was anticlimactic on purpose, in order to make room for the real moment they decide to be together after the third-act breakup, but it felt like bad writing to me.
I did enjoy the end of the film, and unlike many rom-coms, the third-act breakup didn’t feel contrived. Poppy truly didn’t know what she wanted out of her life, and the couple wouldn’t have worked well together until she figured some things out about herself.
Blyth and Bader had great chemistry onscreen, and Blyth’s sweet and emotional performance was stirring.
The love story didn’t quite hit me in the feels, but the characters were enjoyable to watch. I had a good time, and I didn’t feel the need to throw popcorn at any characters for acting stupid or out of character. It was believable, and that, for me, was enough.
Adee Tulcan