Reviews
people we meet on vacation
People We Meet on Vacation is the first straight to streaming romantic comedy release of 2026, this time courtesy of Netflix. And if recent history has taught us anything, particularly over the last few years, that alone should make it an automatic slam dunk for a terrible movie, right? Well, credit where it’s due, Netflix might just be rewriting history in front of our eyes. Despite the expected genre tropes, of which there are plenty, People We Meet on Vacation is a surprisingly fun time that had me hooked.
The film adapts Emily Henry’s novel of the same name, brought to the “big” screen by director Brett Haley alongside screenwriters Yulin Kuang, Amos Vernon, and Nunzio Randazzo. It follows Poppy (Emily Bader), a travel writer who has grown quite frankly exhausted by the endless free holidays she’s sent on for work, and Alex (Tom Blyth), a far more introverted homebody. After a college meet cute in which Alex offers Poppy a ride share from Boston back to the small Ohio town they both grew up in, the pair strike up an unlikely friendship, largely due to just how opposite they appear on first impressions.
As their friendship blossoms, they begin a yearly tradition of taking one week long holidays together to a new destination, broadening their horizons while inevitably drawing them closer. One of the film’s most effective devices is the way it jumps back and forth between these trips and the present day, where it’s clear something has gone wrong. The tradition has been abandoned, and the two friends haven’t spoken in two years.
Thankfully for both the characters and the audience, who by now will almost certainly be invested in their relationship, Alex’s brother (Miles Heizer) is getting married in Barcelona and has invited Poppy along. The timing couldn’t be better. Poppy has begun to lose herself in travel as obligation rather than joy, and Barcelona offers the chance not only to rediscover what’s been lost, but to reconnect with Alex as well, something it’s obvious she wants far more than she lets on.
As the pieces start to fall into place and the reason for the rift between them becomes clear, the final act does lean more heavily into familiar genre territory. After how fresh the first two acts feel, this predictability is a little disappointing. Even so, it’s hard not to root for the pair to reach their respective happily ever afters, because unlike so many films of this type, these are characters who feel grounded, relatable, and genuinely worth investing in rather than unbearably cheesy.
Much of that success lies with the screenwriters, who have done an impressive job translating the novel to film. Romantic comedies often struggle with this transition, and plenty of adaptations have fallen short of expectations. Equal praise, however, must go to Emily Bader and Tom Blyth. Their chemistry is infectious and believable, to the point where many viewers will likely find themselves shouting at their televisions during the more frustrating moments. The slow burn of their relationship feels natural, as though the connection is developing organically as the film progresses.
The supporting cast also does strong work. Most only appear briefly, particularly during the flashback sequences, but everyone delivers exactly what’s required of them. Lukas Gage, playing one of Poppy’s early love interests is a particular personal highlight, as well as Jameela Jamil who shines as Poppy’s boss with some excellent line delivery. Importantly, none of the supporting players distract from the central pairing, something essential for a film of this nature to work as well as it does.
While People We Meet on Vacation is undoubtedly a great time and a solid rom-com, it does begin to feel a little bloated by the end. With a runtime just shy of two hours, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t overstay its welcome ever so slightly. There are a couple of sequences that could have been trimmed or removed entirely without impacting the film’s overall cohesion or quality. In fact, the film may have actually benefited from a snappier pace, which could have lifted it just that little bit further.
Still, when you compare People We Meet on Vacation to the seemingly endless catalog of romantic comedies already available on Netflix, it stands head and shoulders above most of them. Brett Haley has delivered a warm, relatable, and charming film that should satisfy fans of the book as well as those who simply stumble across it over the weekend when doomscrolling for their next watch. I have to tip my hat to Netflix for delivering my first genuine surprise of the year.
