by Matilda Hawkins ‘27

The popular rom-com book People We Met on Vacation has recently been adapted into a movie and released on Netflix on January 9. The movie follows its two main characters, Poppy, played by Emily Bader, and Alex, played by Tom Blyth. When both need a ride home from college, Poppy and Alex’s mutual friend brings them together to carpool back to their hometown, Linfield, Ohio. The two come to realize they’re

complete opposites, but still, through the road trip, they find a long-lasting friendship and start a tradition where they go on vacation together once a year.

As their friendship grows, so does the underlying romantic tension, causing a falling out between the two as Alex has a long-term relationship during their friendship. The movie goes through the aftermath of this fallout and how the two rekindle their relationship through a trip to Alex’s brother’s wedding.
Recently, many romance movies, including this one, have begun incorporating the cheating trope that usually includes some sort of affair that leads to the main relationship. Although this trope has been around for a while, it has gained popularity, like in the recent movie Regretting You and now People We Met on Vacation. Infidelity that leads to love may grab the attention of watchers, but it romanticizes an aspect of toxic relationships that in real life often are harmful for its audience. Many of these movies could still have a solid plot and character development without this trope, including People We Met on Vacation.

The movie uses flashbacks to previous trips that Poppy and Alex have taken to give the audience context of the issue they’re dealing with, which helps build up to the resolution in the story. Furthermore, the characters are complex yet relatable, and their contrasting personalities create a relationship between them that is often not seen in romance movies.

The movie has its humorous effects while still being heartfelt and a captivating watch. Oftentimes, romance movies are very heavy and emotional, which can be interesting, but having this switch-up to a more lighthearted feel while still hitting those emotional scenes makes this movie a nice comfort watch for those who need a little uplifting.

Grade: B+