by Alice-Ginevra Micheli, Contributing Writer
Whenever a popular book gets an adaptation, there’s a lot of excitement, and held breaths, while people anticipate a favorite story of theirs finally making its way onto the silver screen. There’s questions of something being viable when it’s not left up to interpretation, the suitability of actors cast in the bodies of treasured characters, and of course wondering if a director’s vision will live up to the one that many have already conjured in their heads.
Add all of that pressure to the fact that there seems to be a swell of desire lately for the romantic comedy genre to make its re-debut in popular culture, and it seems like this production of a favored Emily Henry story had lots to gain, but also just as much to lose.
Opposites attract with People We Meet on Vacation whentwo best friends, the carefree, “wanderlustful” Poppy (Emily Bader), and stoic, grounded Alex (Tom Blyth) spend a decade sharing one week of every summer together, travelling the world.
Considered to be a friends-to-lovers romance, this is the first of many adaptations that are yet to come of Henry’s works. For those not familiar with her books, it’ll be an introduction to her tone, and narrative style, setting the scene for whether there is in fact an audience for her books to continue to get the same treatment in future. Part of that will be in considering how good of a translation to screen this movie has done for its fans. Will it invoke the same emotions, or will it leave them wanting, in a bad way? However, the more important question could be, does that matter? For a review of the film, does its faithfulness to the source text play a role in its overall quality?
Keeping that in mind, another vital element of any good romantic comedy are the performances at its center. Coming off a couple of well-received period-set projects, Bader, and Blyth would have been popular choices for this couple due to the audiences they’d be bringing over from their respective franchises. It’s because of this that many will likely consider both to still be quite charming in how they portray Poppy and Alex. Bader plays fun, flirty, and someone open to the world’s adventures, while Blyth puts across a satisfying performance as someone a little quieter and more reserved, who comes out of his shell when pressed against Bader’s light.
Although good, there does still seem to be something missing. There is something to be said about getting two attractive people, making them experience hijinks, and having love be the consequence. For many it’s enough, it serves the purpose. However the chemistry between the two leads is essential when it comes to taking this sort of thing from middling to next level. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case here. There might in fact be chemistry at play, but the film is more interested in telling the audience that these two are perfect for each other, yearning in secret across the years of friendship, rather than presenting any actual evidence to allow viewers to feel it for themselves. This is especially prevalent when looking at the intensive color-grading, and edge-diffusing process that the scenes have undergone, where it seems like the editor is trying to overtly yell at the audience that they’re meant to be feeling one way, or another at any time with examples like intensive uses of red, and blue filters, or inputting a frame that’s meant to radiate a dreamy-like state, but instead ends up looking like a bad filter from early 2010’s era Instagram.
It’s all a little too quirky, and superficial to allow for a connection to occur between screen and audience. In fact, this is where the adaptation question comes back into focus. For those who have read the original novel, they would be expecting these instances of frivolity to be backed up by real moments of character development, and human exploration. Relationship exploring between what it is to be a friend versus a lover. Something to give the plot the depth it requires for there to be enough buy-in and therein love acceptably found. The film fails to do that, focusing more on the glitzy settings, and whimsy to allow for anything authentic to take place before the runtime’s end.
Sure, for a rom-com, it’s good enough. It hits all the beats that one might desire in a slow-burn of this kind, serving as a paint-by-numbers of many better versions that have come before. But despite this, there is nothing left that would take this particular movie to a point where people might look to comfort-watch this selection when they’re needing a future pick-me-up.
So, is it a good adaptation of the original book? It’s alright but does miss the spark that would have made it popular in the first place. Those coming to People We Meet on Vacation clear of previous bias might still find it charming in its simplicity, however it’s likely that audiences will still find themselves lacking in the kinship that they might ordinarily feel after a great romantic comedy has played in front of them. It’s inoffensive for certain, but to answer whether that is enough? In this case, probably not.
Rating: It Was Okay
People We Meet on Vacation is currently streaming on Netflix
You can read more from Alice-Ginevra Micheli, and follow her on Instagram and Letterboxd