Based on the novel of the same name by Emily Henry, this film offers a quirky, humorous, yet sometimes off-putting take on the popular friends-to-lovers romance trope. People We Meet on Vacation offers a nonlinear story that spans as far back as nine years in the past, while also maintaining a plot in the present day.
When we first meet the energetic Poppy (played by Emily Bader), we learn that she is a writer for a travel agency, essentially traveling and writing about her adventures for a living. When we take our first trip in the time machine and skip back nine years, we meet Alex (played by Tom Blyth). They are both natives of Linfield, Ohio, and we can immediately tell the differences between these two characters, as one of them loves Linfield, and the other doesn’t. They become best of friends and promise each other that they will always go on a trip together during the summer. Throughout the entire film’s plot, we intermittently jump back many years to each of these vacations, some of which feel mildly relevant, while others help to understand Poppy and Alex sufficiently.
I truthfully thought that this storytelling style was just as quirky and fun as its main characters. Through this nonlinear format, we are able to understand more about Poppy and Alex as well. We effectively watch these two young adults grow into adults over the course of nine years. I appreciated how each flashback didn’t spend a sufficient amount of time, but just enough to fully grasp what it had in store for these characters, and what was meant to be learned by the audience. At some points, though, when I felt like I had finally had a complete grasp of these characters and their story in the present day, we would again fly back to another vacation in the past. By the end of the film, I had gotten slightly annoyed by this format. It can feel like you’re just about to get someone with these characters, then whoosh, it’s all gone, and now were in the past. I think the film could’ve benefited from fewer flashbacks, and more understanding of who these characters are today.
Emily Bader’s performance as Poppy was really comical to me, in the best way! I had so many laugh-out-loud moments when graced with the presence of Poppy, and the sarcastic writing that comes along with her. Everyone can immediately tell how good Bader and Blyth’s chemistry is here. Every time they are both on screen together, they are truly believable. For what the film is, and for what these characters are, Bader and Blyth bring energy and compassion to these characters, bringing Emily Henry’s original characters from page to screen, which I hope was very exciting for fans of Henry’s novels.
People We Meet on Vacation opens up the new year with a delightful film that’s not meant to be taken too seriously. There are just times when the constant and repetitive flashbacks can bog down the film just a bit. But with stellar performances and chemistry that is sure to keep your eyes glued to the screen, you really can’t go wrong here!
People We Meet on Vacation is now available to stream on Netflix.
Wyatt’s Takes 