Last month, Netflix released the film adaptation of Emily Henry’s “People We Meet on Vacation,” a project that arrived with plenty of anticipation given the 2021 novel’s massive popularity among book readers, particularly members of “Booktok.” I had read the book a year or so ago, and I do not remember every fine detail, unlike many fans of the book who watched the movie intently, looking for details from the book. Nonetheless, I was interested to see how the iconic friends-to-lovers plot would translate to the screen. I watched the adaptation shortly before returning from break, and while I had a somewhat unremarkable viewing experience, I do have some thoughts on what I enjoyed and disliked about the film.
In “People We Meet on Vacation,” Poppy Wright and Alex Nielsen, two polar opposites who formed an unlikely bond during a carpool home from Boston College, resolved to take a week-long summer trip together every year from then on. Poppy is an upbeat, travel-writer living in New York City, while Alex is a reserved and somewhat rigid school teacher who stayed in their shared small hometown in Linfield, Ohio. We learn that their travel tradition, however, notably and inexplicably for most of the movie, crumbled two years prior during a disastrous trip to Tuscany that left them estranged, but Poppy, realizing she is unhappier than ever, decides to attend Alex’s brother’s (and her best friend’s) wedding in Barcelona in hopes of reconnecting with him. The movie unfolds through a dual timeline, alternating between their present-day attempt to bridge the gap in Barcelona and the year-by-year history of their past summers.
When the movie was first announced, I was particularly interested in the casting decisions of Tom Blyth and Emily Bader. Emily Bader is particularly impressive as Poppy; she manages to make the character’s quirky and occasionally annoying personality feel effortless and entertaining. She brings a fun energy to the role that keeps the audience invested, even when Poppy is making questionable choices. The casting of Tom Blyth was a more unexpected choice, as I still associated him with his role as Coriolanus Snow in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.” Seeing him transition to a rom-com was a surprise, but he handled the role of Alex Nielsen well, capturing the character’s specific brand of awkward but genuine sincerity.
While these casting decisions ultimately reflected the book’s characters well, there were a few significant differences between the film and the book. Least notably, the movie understandably features fewer trips to fit a condensed format, and several iconic locations were swapped. The pivotal “disastrous” Croatia trip from the book takes place in Tuscany in the movie, and the climactic wedding trip was moved from Palm Springs to Barcelona. However, the changes I found more significant were character-based, particularly regarding Alex’s relationship timeline. In a move that makes the story feel much messier, the movie has Alex actually propose to his long-term girlfriend, Sarah, during the fateful Tuscany trip, the night after Poppy and Alex kiss for the first time. This change arguably portrays Alex as much more inconsiderate of Sarah’s feelings than he was in the book, choosing to settle after being rejected by Poppy, adding a layer of unnecessary hurt to their breakup and his character.
Even more significant, in my opinion, was the exclusion of Alex’s backstory regarding his mother. The book spends significant time exploring his grief and the fact that his mother died in childbirth, a trauma that directly informs his fear of intimacy. This history is what leads him to get a vasectomy after Poppy has a pregnancy scare, before they even get together— a major point in the book. Without these elements, Alex’s emotional arc feels a bit lighter, missing the deeper roots that explained his hesitation with Poppy.
I did overall enjoy the film, and I think that all things considered, it did the book justice. It wasn’t necessarily a life-changing cinematic experience, but it served as a solid, enjoyable rom-com that hit the right notes for a casual watch.
