‘The People We Meet on Vacation’ was released on Netflix on Jan. 9, the film adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel originally published in 2021. The film follows main characters Alex and Poppy as they go through a 10-year-long friendship, going on one trip together each summer, no matter where they are in their lives.
I read this book when it first came out and absolutely adored the slow burn, friends-to-lovers story. Yet, when I heard it was being adapted into a movie, I was skeptical. The book features many long time skips and flashbacks, and I was curious on how they were going to pull that aspect off as well as convey the growing tension between the two main characters as time passed.
As expected, it was not pulled off gracefully.
The movie was, at first, perfect. We get to know both Poppy and Alex very well, and I thought the time skips were short enough to give us context of the past, while keeping up with the present plot. Yet, at a little over the halfway point, it became too much.
The past was focused on much more than the present, unlike the book, which was more balanced, and felt far too rushed. By the end, it felt nothing like the slow burn romance I had read in the book. I understood the love confession since there was so much time behind them both, but never saw the emotion being built up in any of the flashbacks.
Emily Bader as Poppy and Tom Blythe as Alex were fantastic casting choices. Bader made Poppy so incredibly annoying, yet impossible not to love and Blythe made Alex the awkward, but kind best friend that I fell in love with in the novel. Their on-screen chemistry was off the charts, and their banter was natural and funny. The last bit of the movie was so poorly written, yet they both did fantastic with what they were given. Additionally, the soundtrack for each emotional scene was very well chosen, and had me smiling each time I recognized a song that fit their situation perfectly. For example, playing “August” by Taylor Swift after they came home from their devastating August trip was very fitting.
Another thing I thoroughly enjoyed about the movie was the cinematography. During flashbacks, everything is bathed in warm light, giving the memory an air of warmth, nostalgia, and love. The present, on the other hand, has harsher, dark lighting, showing the reality of their relationship and where they both stand. When they meet again for the first time in the present, warm light is seen flowing through the windows, a small detail I appreciated a lot. Everything from the color of their outfits, like Poppy wearing bright red when she’s with Alex, to the dull blue she wears at the airport at home, to the vibrance of their surroundings wherever in the world they were in represents their feelings for their situation and each other.
Overall, I enjoyed this movie. I loved the small details that showed how much the crew cared about the movie, and the incredible performances from the cast. Although there are some things that could have been altered, I would recommend this movie to anyone looking for a warm, romantic escape from this harsh winter.