People We Meet on Vacation review: colorful and occasionally cute but forgettable

Love grows between a restless travel writer and a contented homebody in People We Meet on Vacation, a romantic comedy directed by Brett Haley and available to watch on Netflix that the reviewer calls occasionally cute and instantly forgettable.

The film follows Poppy and Alex, played by Emily Bader and Tom Blyth, who meet as college students in Ohio and vow to reconnect every summer for an exotic vacation. Spanning 12 years with multiple flashbacks, the movie unfolds in vivid colors and foreign locations as the pair acquire and retire partners, trade on rom-com clichés and lean on broad character types: Poppy as a free spirit and Alex as a supposed rule-follower who reads as a quietly endearing adult.

The review notes thin, less-than-witty dialogue, brief turns from Alan Ruck and Molly Shannon as Poppy’s parents and a small role for Jameela Jamil as Poppy’s boss. It also says the film delivers the predictable ending fans of Emily Henry’s novel would expect; People We Meet on Vacation is rated PG-13 and runs 1 hour 57 minutes.

Key Topics

Culture, People We Meet, Brett Haley, Emily Bader, Tom Blyth, Ohio