In recent years I have had the privilege of indulging on the works of Emily Henry, whose banter filled romantic comedies have made her an author I have grown to love. Now it seems pretty much all of her novels have a movie or tv adaptation, and Netflix's People We Meet On Vacation is the first to arrive.
The film stars Emily Bader and Tom Blyth as Poppy and Alex, a pair of unlikely best friends who met in a When Harry Met Sally carpooling situation and connected despite their differences. In order to stay in touch the two vow to go on a vacation together each summer, something that becomes harder as they grow older and fall into relationships. Lingering under their platonic trips together though is that potential for them to be something more, a possibility that comes to a head when the two meet up at Alex's brother's wedding after their friendship hit a rut.
I fear that many will go into this with a negative mindset due to Emily Henry's status as a popular 'Booktok' author, which is a shame, as this is a genuinely great romantic comedy. I think the current string of lacklustre Colleen Hoover adaptations and the mixed consensus to The Housemaid are putting a bad spin on adaptations of this string of popular books on Tiktok, but I truly believe that the wildly fun banter of Henry's work will give the upcoming adaptations of her work a bit of an advantage. In translating from book to film, that tone and banter isn't lost at all, and you can tell that everyone involved has an appreciation for the source material that makes the whole thing feel cozy and nostalgic.
A large part of why the banter works is in how perfectly cast the two leads are. Poppy is loud and outgoing while Alex is more quiet and reserved, but the two need to have a clear connection in order for this story to work. The chemistry between Bader and Blyth is simply magnetic, truly evoking that beautiful opposites attract connection that's made films like When Harry Met Sally and Notting Hill so everlasting. The reserved nature of Alex leaves Blyth's performance a bit less exciting, but Emily Bader is show stopping from start to finish. There are moments in some of the flashback scenes where you can see Poppy's fear of losing Alex, and the way Bader uses her eyes is just incredible.
On top of having a terrific duo and a fun script, this is also a beautifully crafted movie. A lot of big studio movies can feel a bit washed out nowadays (here's looking at you Wicked), but People We Meet On Vacation is a vividly colourful film. The cinematography is genuinely stunning at moments thanks to some beautiful shot composition, and a colour palette that constantly pops. The costume designers clearly also had a ton of fun with how colourful the film is, wonderfully contrasting Alex's blander wardrobe with Poppy's endless stream of fun outfits. There are moments where Alex comes out of his shell throughout the film and the costume design cleverly reflects that by giving him some of the pops of colour alongside Poppy.
There are some bits missing from the book that I do wish were there, and honestly I kind of wish the film was longer in order to flesh out the past trips the pair took, but all in all I really loved this. I feared that going to Netflix would make this feel like the generic romantic comedies they push out to streaming on a monthly basis, but People We Meet On Vacation is vibrant and fun and full of everything you need from a good rom-com. 4/5
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