‘People We Meet On Vacation’: Sweet, Breezy and Already Fading

A summer holiday romance should feel effortless and exhilarating, yet People We Meet On Vacation, directed by Brett Haley, drifts in charming, fleeting bursts and never fully lands.

Netflix’s first of many Emily Henry adaptations follows friends Poppy (Emily Bader) and Alex (Tom Blyth), who vow to reunite every summer for vacations where they can reconnect and be their truest selves despite very different lives.

The film opens with Poppy, a writer literally paid to take vacations—classic rom-com territory. She narrates her adventurous life, yet beneath the gloss lies palpable loneliness.

A wedding invitation draws her back into Alex’s orbit, prompting flashbacks to their initial chance meeting/road trip, which revealed their shared hometown, opposite personalities, and the friendship that would grow over years of whirlwind trips.

The opening is bumpy, leaning heavily into rom-com caricature with awkward banter, predictable humour and exaggerated quirks. It isn’t until their first camping trip, humming with warmth and charm, that the film hits its stride—arguably its most fun and playful stretch.

Early vacations, especially a New Orleans trip with a silly, lively dance sequence and growing romantic tension, are the most engaging moments. By contrast, the present-day timeline feels sluggish, dragging momentum.

Emily Bader carries the film as Poppy, a quirky, neurotic travel writer who fled her hometown to escape expectations. Initially cartoonish, Bader gradually reveals the loneliness beneath the chaos, grounding Poppy with emotional credibility and effortlessly pivoting between drama and comedy.

By contrast, Blyth’s Alex remains frustratingly opaque: a steady, home-loving counterpoint with occasional charm and comedic timing but never quite rises above brooding with puppy dog eyes.

The pair share decent chemistry, but the film never lets their yearning truly register. Intimacy feels pre-approved rather than burning, and the film’s shift to a lone steamy moment lands more placating than organic.

Without reading the novel, it’s clear the adaptation condenses pivotal moments, skipping beats that might have lent a richer, more immersive story suited for an episodic series.

Additionally, the script flattens the story: years pass in functional time jumps with almost static emotional stakes, further limiting the impact of each vacation arc.

Supporting characters barely register, except for comic relief thanks to brief appearances by Lukas Gage and Molly Shannon and Alan Ruck as Poppy’s parents.

Netflix’s signature aesthetic flattens the otherwise vivid cinematography, muting stunning locations that serve as backdrops rather than characters in their own right.

Still, there are some genuinely funny and sweet moments that keep the predictable storytelling entertaining. Borrowing familiar tropes, the structure feels like a bubblegum blend of One Day and When Harry Met Sally, but flatness dominates.

Ultimately, the film straddles the space between comfort watch rom-com and prestige adaptation without fully committing to either. It’s sweet, intermittently funny, and shows more depth than the average streaming romance but remains fleeting and forgettable.

Fans of light rom-coms and the friends-to-lovers tales will eat this up but others might not pick this up for a rewatch.

People We Meet On Vacation plays it safe, offering just enough drama, romance and comedy to tease and nearly satisfy but never truly bite.

★★★

People We Meet On Vacation is available to stream now.