'People We Meet on Vacation' Review
- Connor Petrey
- 18 hours ago
- 3 min read
Release Date: 01/09/26 [Netflix]
Genre: Romance.
MPAA: Rated PG13.
Distributor: Netflix. Sony Pictures.
The Verdict: A Maybe
January is typically not a solid month for new releases and People We Meet on Vacation didn’t initially give me much confidence based on the trailer. However, upon watching and then doing some research in regards to the 2021 New York Times Bestseller - this is a worthy romance, but equally a weak adaptation.
As someone who has not read the book myself (in full transparency) but has read an extensive recap of every chapter, the film seems to twist some of the details, alter some of the reasoning, and adjust to make things more dramatic. Things end in the same fashion as in the book, yet it’s interesting how they altered one of the leads Alex from being a reasonable, kind-hearted person from the jump to a distanced, irritated individual here. The other lead, Poppy doesn’t appear to be as drastically altered, albeit from what I can tell her first connection with both the audience and with Alex comes off nearly just as insufferable. Luckily, this dials back quick enough, however there’s still just something about the way that Poppy interacts that feels self centered in all capacity.
Within those grievances is the best part of the film and that is the performances of Emily Bader (My Lady Jane) as Poppy and Tom Blyth (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) as Alex. Admittedly it took a bit to warm up to both of these characters, but as we spend more time with them, the more we can see their developing friendship and bond. Their chemistry is solid and while dysfunctional for a good deal of the film taking place during present day, the flashbacks truly draw a lot of genuine connection as they continue to travel with each other every summer.
The supporting characters are more loosely placed throughout, with some that just never reappear. That last part is aimed toward Alan Ruck and Molly Shannon who have easily the funniest scene in the film and then disappear. Sarah Catherine Hook (The White Lotus), Lucien Laviscount (Emily in Paris), Miles Heizer (Nerve), and Jameela Jamil (The Good Place) are also in the film in a substantially limited role. Another drastic change from book to script is Jamil's Swapna. In the film, she allows Poppy to travel on the company’s dime to the destination wedding, while in the novel that just simply isn’t the case - this makes it so Jamil is much more a friend than a boss in this aspect over the novelized version.
The film (especially in context with the book’s format) has a pacing issue, commonly swerving into flashbacks during modern day scenes with a label of a set amount of “Summers Ago”. The flashbacks are my favorite part of the film as the modern versions of these characters at least in the first few acts are difficult to enjoy their presence on screen. As more details emerge regarding summers with their former selves, the more you can hope for the duo's possible break of their platonic relationship. If only the present day scenes could motivate such an emotional shift without the constant back and forth through time.
When the script allows, People We Meet on Vacation is a perfectly respectable romance with some genuine connection between the leads - but in the same breath it's equal parts a weak adaptation. There are far too many adjustments from the source for diehard fans to be floored with this adaptation, but casual fans should still be pleased that these characters in some form have made their way to our screens.
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