People We Meet on Vacation -- Cute Faces, Hollow Story

Review by Steve Barton II

Director Brett Haley has made some charming movies in the past with Hearts Beat Loud and The Hero. Each of those movies cover life and the complicated relationships made over that sprawling period called life. With the newest Netflix rom-com, People We Meet on Vacation, his lifeblood continues down a similar vein. The film stars Emily Bader (Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin, Fresh Kills) as free-spirit Poppy who travels the world, with very few commitments or roots in any one place. On the way home from college, she meets Alex (Tom Blyth, Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) who is the antithesis of Poppy in every way. An unlikely friendship blossoms, where they go on vacations and bring out the best in one another. 

For the first act, the characters' cute banter that they have back and forth has promise. The chemistry between Bader and Blyth works quite well, where they genuinely seem charmed by one another’s quirks. Blyth has a natural stoic presence that works perfectly for this high-strung dude who has to plan out everything in his life, down to the second. Bader’s so damn charming and natural in her delivery, that bigger and brighter projects are destined for her future. By the middle of the story, the characters feel arrested in their development until about 15 minutes left in the movie. Most people can relate to feeling lonely in this big world and wanting to escape the “small town” trap, but Poppy’s decision to change her life completely just felt way too sudden and convenient. The time span from Poppy dumping any future with Alex to immediately planning her small town life with him happens quicker than the blink of an eye. We’re dealing with an adaptation here, but the story would’ve been much stronger if it didn’t fall into predictable cliches that this genre built its foundation on.

If they trimmed down the middle a bit with the “remember when this happened” cheesy dialogue and then the overdrawn flashback. One of the three screenwriters could’ve made one of the scenes a quick story in a conversation and had the same impact. The classic filmmaking rule of “show, don’t tell” is abused to its own demise. The stronger story would be to put more into Poppy and Alex’s personal developments that bring them to their natural place by the final act. With it being an adaptation from a book, the story has a roadmap to follow but diverting expectations could’ve spiced it up and made it stand out from the many other projects occupying the genre. The author of the source material, Emily Henry is an executive producer and has an on-screen cameo, so fans can be at ease knowing her blessing. 

With the first full week of 2026 coming to a close, the world is usually dumped with Hollywood’s stinkiest trash, but not this one. People We Meet on Vacation is still an entertaining, yet bloated romantic comedy that a partner could turn on for date night and both have some laughs while looking at some beautiful faces.

People We Meet on Vacation is available now on Netflix.

Rating: 3.5/5