People We Meet on Vacation (2026), directed by Brett Haley, is a fun, colourful vacation on a night when you want a romcom as a palate cleanser from high-intensity dramas or superhero films.
The film anachronistically spans 10 years of best friendship between Poppy Wright (Emily Bader) and Alex Nilsen (Tom Blyth), polar opposites who met as strangers on a road trip home to their shared hometown from college and ultimately agree to go on a vacation together every summer. Only, when we meet them, they haven’t spoken in two years, with Alex’s brother’s wedding in Barcelona perhaps being their last chance to restore their “friendship.”
The elephant in the room must be addressed first: PWMOV was an adaptation, sharing a name with the eponymous Emily Henry novel (2021). Like any adaptation, the movie is going to have its critics, whether the movie was too much like the book or not enough. It ultimately remains up to each viewer to decide if they’re satisfied with what was changed and what remains.
To me, an adaptation is in large part about maintaining the spirit, but not necessarily the letter, of the text — I am a Pride and Prejudice (2005) truther. And I loved this movie. PWMOV definitely maintained the silly, chaos-filled adventures and opposites-attract slow burn of the book, with Poppy and Alex stepping into their characters’ skins so perfectly it’s hard to imagine Henry didn’t write the novel with these two in mind.
Some of Haley’s changes worked quite effectively. On the initial road trip, Poppy locks the keys inside the car so they have to sleep in a motel, helping to fast track their deep bond. Another example is Alex’s Canadian skinny dipping adventure, an addition which efficiently externalized a very internal part of Alex’s journey to breaking out of his rigidity. There were also some well-made excisions. The book features a vasectomy plotline that many fans took issue with, so its exclusion in the movie not only strengthens a weak point in the original narrative but is also a well-selected time-saver.
The highlight of the whole movie is the dance scene in New Orleans. Poppy and Alex, pretending to be newlyweds, perform their “first dance” for the bar patrons. But what is intended to embarrass Alex creates an iconic dance scene with Poppy in an electric blue wig, Alex doing the worm, and an “oh no, I’m falling in love with my best friend” tension that will live in the minds of romcom lovers for decades to come.
However, the movie sometimes overindulged itself on “creative license,” changing things for the sake of changing them, like Alex already being with Sarah when he and Poppy meet, or leaving out parts of the novel that feel essential not only to fans but to the character and relationship development. This is particularly felt with the lack of long-running bits like “sad puppy face,” Alex’s desire to be a creative writer and his journey, and that Poppy’s malaise is not simply professional ennui but deep-seated loneliness, self-hatred, and dissatisfaction with the life she’s made for herself. One of the biggest losses was Alex’s revelation to Poppy that before the first road trip where she asked him what he did and didn’t love, it felt like he hadn’t existed — “like you invented me.” This curiosity and care Poppy brings into Alex’s life from the day they meet is essential to Alex’s character growth. He always lived for the sake of his large family after his mother’s death, a fact that only gets one tiny moment in the film, yet the true impact of meeting Poppy is lost with the lack of exploration into character backstory and, thus, the “invented” line.
These excisions critically affect the depth of character. The audience gets a strong sense of the characters’ personalities because of exceptional acting by Bader and Blyth, with their facial expressions and physicality speaking volumes about their internal battles, which compensates for some unpolished scripting. But these are clearly two characters shaped by and still struggling with their childhood traumas, which is part of what keeps them from being together, and that gets lost in the film.
Some fans (including myself) are dreaming of an extended cut being released to have these gaps filled in.
The movie’s other main issue was pacing, which can be expected for any movie meant to span 10 years with each year holding a significant event that needs time to be explored. Even cutting or condensing some of the vacations, the movie felt a bit rushed, particularly in the “present” in Barcelona. The story functions on the premise that this last vacation together is Poppy’s one chance to recreate what they used to have, including wacky adventures and, critically, forced proximity. Rather than watch the two rediscover their intimacy only to rubber band back to awkwardness just as quickly as they go on misadventures like the good old days, all we get are a few awkward scenes in Poppy’s rental house that serve more as a jumping off point for exploring the old vacations than any actual self or relationship work in the present that should push them to their breaking point. Again, the movie gave too much time to some “original” bits like the wishing well or the Memento Mori tattoo that could’ve been spent on the present — they’re in Barcelona (a change from Palm Springs in the book), take them to Park Guell or a nude beach!
Nonetheless, the movie is incredibly fun and stands on its own two feet without needing to have read the book to enjoy it. The chemistry between the leads is palpable (I again point to the New Orleans sequence), the almost-kiss is devastating, and it does well what many romcoms struggle with — the comedy. The condom scene poised against the plane vs virginity scene with Poppy’s parents (Molly Shannon and Alan Ruck) is an all timer, and Poppy saying that they can enjoy some “casual sax” made me laugh out loud. Plus both leads excel in physical comedy.
Additionally, the aesthetic choices made by Haley are what really set PWMOV apart from its other modern romcom peers. In the modern film industry that often struggles with lighting and which pursues millennial grey as a colour palette, PWMOV is kaleidoscopic. The movie is alive with colour, every scene popping off the screen. This is particularly prevalent in Poppy’s costuming, which features very “quirky,” bright, eclectic choices which always end up working. The score is also excellently curated, as it perfectly aligns with the emotional resonance of each scene. Paula Abdul’s ‘Forever Your Girl’ will take its place in romcom music history, alongside “Everlasting Love” and “You’re So Vain”.
The chemistry between Poppy and Alex cannot be undersold either. It is electric, keeping the audience on edge the whole movie — and who doesn’t love a quintessential romcom kiss in the rain? But this inherent, natural chemistry makes the pair’s struggle to find each other all the more painful, because no matter how much they care for each other, they do have real problems that are real barriers to them getting together. As Alex says, “Love was never our problem.”
Another high point in the movie is the moving yet hilarious chase scene, which I particularly love because it works on two levels. Poppy jokes repeatedly that she never runs (an activity Alex, her foil, loves), so for her to run after him is both funny and symbolic. However, what takes the scene to the next level is that Poppy is actually always running. Her character is defined by the fact that she always traveled and stayed on the move — remaining transient so that she could always leave before others left her. Through the foot chase, she’s attempting to stop running at all.
But what is so powerful about this love story and gives it staying power is that it takes so long for them to get together. They always loved each other, but they weren’t always ready for each other. It’s as Alex says in New Orleans, “You’ll be drawn to the right person at the right time.” This film, while imperfect, is a true successor to the early 2000s romcoms and will be watched on many girls’ nights for years to come.
