People We Meet on Vacation Review: A Glossy, Heartfelt Flight to Rom-Com Comfort
Release Date: January 9, 2026
Platform: Netflix
Director: Brett Haley
Cast: Emily Bader, Tom Blyth, Jameela Jamil, Lukas Gage, Alan Ruck, Molly Shannon
Runtime: 1h 49m
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Adapting Emily Henry’s bibliography was always going to be a high-stakes endeavor. As the reigning queen of modern romance novels, her works are beloved for their wit, emotional depth, and specific millennial anxieties. People We Meet on Vacation, the first of her novels to hit the screen, lands on Netflix with the weight of massive expectation. Directed by Brett Haley (All the Bright Places, Hearts Beat Loud), the film navigates the tricky transition from page to screen by leaning heavily on the incandescent chemistry of its leads, delivering a polished, if occasionally safe, entry into the rom-com canon.
Plot Synopsis: When Harry Met Sally on a Budget
The narrative structure remains faithful to Henry’s blueprint, oscillating between a high-stakes present and a decade of shared history. Poppy Wright (Emily Bader) is a chaotic, neon-clad travel writer living in New York City, celebrated for her wanderlust but secretly suffering from profound burnout. Alex Nilsen (Tom Blyth) is her polar opposite: a khakis-wearing, routine-obsessed high school teacher comfortably settled in their shared hometown of Linfield, Ohio.
Despite their differences, the pair formed an unlikely bond during a car share from Boston College (a shift from the book’s University of Chicago). This sparked a tradition: the “Summer Trip,” a week-long annual vacation where they bridge the gap between their disparate lives. But this tradition came to a screeching halt two years ago following a mysterious, friendship-ending rift in Tuscany.
In the present, a lonely Poppy reaches out to Alex, hoping to fix what she broke. To her surprise, he agrees to one last trip: his brother David’s wedding in Barcelona. As they navigate the stunning Catalan coast, the film peels back the layers of their past—from a budget disaster in Vancouver to a “honeymoon” in New Orleans—revealing the slow-burn romance that has been simmering beneath their friendship for ten years.
Detailed Critique
Acting and Chemistry
A romantic comedy lives and dies on the spark between its leads, and People We Meet on Vacation succeeds largely because Emily Bader and Tom Blyth are electric. Bader, tasked with playing a character who could easily veer into “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” territory, grounds Poppy’s eccentricity in genuine vulnerability. She captures the frenetic energy of someone running away from her own unhappiness.
Tom Blyth, shedding the villainous skin of his Hunger Games breakout, is a revelation as the stoic “straight man.” His performance is an exercise in restraint; he conveys years of unrequited longing through micro-expressions and quiet steadfastness. When the two are on screen together, the history feels lived-in. They bicker, anticipate each other’s needs, and share a physical comfort that sells the “best friends” premise instantly.
The supporting cast adds necessary texture. Jameela Jamil brings sharp comedic timing as Poppy’s demanding editor, while veteran actors Alan Ruck and Molly Shannon provide warmth in smaller roles that flesh out the world beyond the central couple.
Direction and Visuals
Brett Haley brings a saturated, commercial gloss to the film that mimics the aesthetic of the travel magazines Poppy writes for. The cinematography loves its locations; Barcelona is bathed in golden-hour light, and the flashbacks are color-coded to evoke nostalgia—cool blues for rainy college days, vibrant warm tones for their summer escapades.
However, this visual polish sometimes works against the story’s scrappier roots. In the novel, the early trips were defined by their cheapness—broken air conditioners and bedbug-ridden hostels. While the movie nods to this (the “one bed” trope is dutifully employed), the poverty feels Hollywood-sanitized. Everyone looks a little too perfect, and the grit that made their bonding moments feel earned is smoothed over for visual appeal.
Screenplay and Themes
Screenwriters Yulin Kuang, Amos Vernon, and Nunzio Randazzo have streamlined the non-linear narrative effectively. The “Then” and “Now” structure creates a rhythmic pacing that keeps the viewer engaged, doling out pieces of the backstory just as the present-day tension peaks.
The adaptation does soften the source material’s sharper edges. Book readers may miss the deeper exploration of Poppy’s childhood trauma and bullying, which contextualized her need for constant movement. In the film, her wanderlust is treated more as a personality quirk than a trauma response. Similarly, the rift in Tuscany—crucial to the plot—plays out with less devastation than on the page, resolving quickly to make room for the romantic climax.
Despite these changes, the film nails the central theme: the terrifying vulnerability of being truly known by another person. It respects the sanctity of friendship as the foundation for lasting love, avoiding the cynical trap of making their platonic years feel like a waste of time.
Strengths & Weaknesses
| Category | Verdict |
| Strengths |
Lead Performance: Bader and Blyth carry the film with star-making charisma. Pacing: The dual-timeline structure prevents the narrative from dragging. Aesthetics: A visual feast that serves as excellent travel escapism. |
| Weaknesses |
Sanitized Emotion: The film avoids the darker, sadder psychological depths of the novel. Predictability: It adheres strictly to genre formulas, offering few surprises. Music: The soundtrack is occasionally on-the-nose and intrusive. |
Final Verdict
People We Meet on Vacation is a first-class ticket to rom-com nirvana. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it polishes it to a blinding shine. It is a film that understands its audience perfectly, delivering swoon-worthy moments, witty banter, and a comforting resolution. It may be too safe for critics seeking gritty realism, but for anyone looking to escape into a world where love conquers distance and time, this adaptation is a resounding success.
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars