As a self-proclaimed “People We Meet on Vacation” despiser, the movie adaptation left me feeling pleasantly surprised and, unexpectedly, relating to the heroine, Poppy Wright.
The movie, based on the novel by Emily Henry, introduces travel writer Poppy Wright in a very classic rom-com style, highlighting the glitz and glamour of solo travel while simultaneously highlighting all the reasons as to why it is neither glitzy nor glamorous. Poppy, played by Emily Bader, is living her life in New York City in a rut, only to have that rut deepen when her best friend’s brother calls her and invites her to his wedding in Barcelona.
The only issue is that by going to Barcelona, she has to reunite with her best friend. Typically, this would not be a major obstacle – except Poppy and her best friend Alex Nilsen, played by Tom Blyth, have not spoken in two years.
Poppy and Alex used to be inseparable, and although they lived polar opposite lives, the one thing that brought them together was summer. Every single summer they would meet up and go on a trip together, until one year, their tradition suddenly stopped with zero explanation.
This seems like any other romance movie one would find browsing Netflix late at night, but the way it is written both in the book and the film prove the opposite. The movie plays out Poppy and Alex’s conflict beautifully, bouncing back and forth between the summers that they knew each other, to the present summer in Barcelona. In just minutes, the atmosphere would shift from light and airy, with a constant will-they-won’t-they vibe to one that left viewers screaming at their screens for them to just make up and get married already.
While book to media adaptations constantly face backlash, this one was thoughtfully adapted. The attention to detail, the accuracy of the characters and even minute details about the places they traveled showed how much it pays off to have the author and actors work closely together. Like all adaptations, they did cut out some scenes and change locations and situations. Even if that usually stirs up negativity from audiences, I thought it improved the movie, especially shifting away from the rushed and conflict-filled climax of the book.
Another issue I had with the book was Poppy’s overall character. When reading the book, I found myself constantly getting annoyed at her for the way she would use her emotions to drive situations, only to make no progress with resolving things with Alex. However, seeing her character portrayed on screen made me realize that maybe we are more alike than I initially thought. It comes to no surprise that I have also been prone to letting my emotions be the sole dictator of my decisions, much like Poppy’s rejection of any logic and tendency to “go with the wind”.
Overall, the movie has it all — cheesy moments, kissing in the rain, an improv dance scene, unresolved tension and honestly, what more could one ask for? Even the message of the movie is deemed cliché, but that just makes the feelings of rom-com nostalgia even stronger. I would have never expected to find a new favorite movie based off of a book that I had once hated.
Some of Henry’s other novels are also set to become book to film or television adaptations in the coming years. This includes “Beach Read,” “Book Lovers,” “Happy Place” and “Funny Story,” with Henry having heavy involvement in each film. With the stir that People We Meet on Vacation has caused, it will be no surprise if Henry’s next adaptations blow it out of the water.
