As the January chill sets in, Netflix has released a film seemingly designed for escape. 'People We Meet on Vacation,' streaming from 9 January, adapts Emily Henry's beloved 2021 novel into a glossy yet ultimately charmless romantic comedy.
A Promising Premise Lacks Heart
The film, produced under Netflix's deal with Sony, certainly looks the part with high production values. It follows the decades-spanning friendship of Poppy (Emily Bader) and Alex (Tom Blyth), who make a pact to take a holiday together every year. The story jumps between their past adventures and the present, where they reunite at his brother's wedding in Barcelona.
Despite this potentially rich setup, the adaptation fails to inject any genuine emotion or depth. The script, penned by Yulin Kuang, Amos Vernon, and Nunzio Randazzo, struggles to make the central relationship feel organic or compelling. Instead of the witty, specific banter of the source material, viewers are presented with a series of overly familiar and clumsily executed scenes.
Characterisation Falls into Cliche
Poppy is portrayed less as a real person and more as a checklist of romcom archetypes: she's clumsy, messy, and a risk-taker. This is meant to contrast with Alex's cautious, rule-following nature. While the opposites-attract dynamic is a romcom staple, here it feels forced and inauthentic.
Emily Bader shows occasional promise, suggesting she might thrive in a more nuanced role, but she is ultimately let down by the material. Tom Blyth gives a strangely absent performance. In a brief but memorable appearance, Molly Shannon and Alan Ruck as Poppy's parents bring a natural charm that highlights what the rest of the film lacks.
A Frustrating Miss for the Genre
The film draws inevitable comparisons to classics like When Harry Met Sally, but what felt human and lived-in decades ago now comes across as synthetic. Director Brett Haley, who showed real skill with 2018's Hearts Beat Loud, has now made three consecutive misfires for Netflix, including All the Bright Places and All Together Now.
At a time when audiences are craving a breezy, romantic escape, 'People We Meet on Vacation' offers only a superficial journey. It has all the right ingredients—a hit book, a attractive cast, a sunny soundtrack featuring Taylor Swift—but none of the soul required to make us care about the destination.
