Movie review: why Netflix’s ‘People We Meet On Vacation’ should’ve been a series

Over a decade of shared trips, missed timings and emotional near-misses, they circle each other around feelings neither quite knows how to name, until what they’re really orbiting becomes impossible to ignore. 

And after two years of not speaking, they reconnect for a final holiday—a present-day trip threaded with memories of earlier adventures, gradually revealing how affection slowly turned into something far more complicated. The premise feels familiar, bringing us back to something we do not get enough of anymore: an adult rom-com that takes emotional tension seriously. It also captures the classic notion of love: that home can be found in a person, not a place.

Emily Bader (Poppy) and Tom Blyth (Alex) are a convincing match. She brings Poppy’s restless, slightly chaotic energy to life, while he plays Alex with an understated steadiness that grounds the film. Together they embody the central sense of being perfectly aligned and perpetually out of step. Their chemistry carries much of the story, compensating for moments where the script feels pressed for time.

And yet, as enjoyable as the film is, something feels missing. Where the People We Meet On Vacation film stumbles is in the emotional weight behind their choices. Alex’s desire for stability and Poppy’s fear of settling down are sketched more than explored, which means some pivotal moments feel abrupt. We are told they matter to each other, but rarely shown what their connection looks like in the in-between parts of life.

Read more: Passport to immortality: why your next vacation could add years to your life

A confrontation at a wedding, in particular, lands more sharply than it perhaps should, asking the audience to navigate complex feelings in too few frames. The film covers a lot of ground such as multiple trips, shifting dynamics and old misunderstandings, but not every beat gets the room it deserves.

It is clear the story could have thrived as a limited series, each episode exploring a different holiday and moment of connection, allowing the slow burn and messy intimacy to land fully.

It was this frustration that pushed me to the book. Though not finished yet, the difference is already obvious. On the page, Poppy and Alex are fuller, messier and more human. Their hesitations and contradictions make more sense. The emotional history that the film rushes through is given the space it needs to feel real.

Even so, the film has its charms. The montages of shared holidays, the awkward near-confessions and the subtle glances across hotel rooms all add up to a story that feels warm and familiar and fits the film’s intention as an easy, inviting watch.

Taken on its own terms, People We Meet On Vacation is not a perfect translation of a slow-burning novel, but it is a charming, rewatchable rom-com. In that sense, it offers exactly what many viewers are looking for: a reminder that sometimes, love stories do not need to be complicated to be worth revisiting.

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