I could not believe this was a Netflix film.
The golden age of romantic comedies on Netflix was over, with staples such as To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018) and The Kissing Booth (2018) far surpassing anything released within the past few years in terms of critical acclaim or popularity. Netflix has seemingly established a formula: cast a famous actor from the early 2000’s to star in a Christmas film as a plucky protagonist, or a high school drama about a character who’s too cool and independent for love. Unfortunately, this formula is boring and shallow, increasingly unpopular as people begin to recognise the lack of effort Netflix puts into coming up with interesting stories.
People We Meet on Vacation continues the return to one of Netflix’s’ old formulas; an adaptation of a YA popular novel. It seems they are returning to what has always been a successful cash grab. The question is; did it work this time?
Surprisingly, for me, it did.
People We Meet on Vacation does something different from the very start; a flawed protagonist who is still lovable. Poppy is quirky, but she’s not stupid, or clumsy, or reckless. She makes and apologises for her mistakes. At no point does she change as a person, or become ‘too much’, which is a trap a lot of writers fall into when writing young women. Emily Henry, and by extension, screenwriters Yulin Kuang, Amos Vernon and Nunzio Randazzo, recognise that a girl can be quirky and joyful without being innocent or naive.
The aspect I loved most about Alex and Poppy’s relationship was Alex’s naivety and Poppy’s confident self-assurance and openness to new experiences. There are points where their individual personalities clash, but ultimately, they make each other better; Poppy encourages Alex to open and embrace new experiences, while Alex helps Poppy embrace emotional maturity and accountability. Both characters bounce off each other extremely well, and this in part thanks to Emily Bader and Tom Blyth’s chemistry.
Similarly, Alex’s character felt like a breath of fresh air and is one of the major selling points of this film for me. He is far from a stereotypical, harsh, standoffish and unforgiving romantic male lead; instead, he is warm, reserved, forgiving and compassionate, almost to the point that his patience is at the detriment to himself. Alex’s arc is just as significant as Poppy’s – even though the film centres her as the main character; he learns to set boundaries and recognises his own self-worth by the end of the film. He wants to wait for Poppy, but I appreciate how he recognises that he deserves full commitment, which forces him and Poppy to grow together.
Of course, that is not to say that this is a perfect rom com, on the same level as masterpieces like 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) or Love Actually (2003). The introduction of short form media and streaming platforms appears to have reduced the significance of a romcom, down to its spectacle rather than emotional depth. While I think this is a good effort, there is still a lack of depth to this film that is present in older staples of the genre. I would have liked to explore more of Alex and Poppy’s background and why they are who they are, instead of lingering on the ‘will they, won’t they’ cliche. I also think for this plotline to make sense, other romantic partners need to be removed. It would have been more believable if (particularly Alex, as he is the more withdrawn of the two) one of them never had another serious relationship, and it was made obvious that they only ever had feelings for the other.
This leads me on to my biggest issue with the film; there were alternative ways of creating drama without using Alex’s girlfriend Sarah as a pawn in Alex and Poppy’s relationship, as their dynamic as ‘just friends’ is proven to be something she sees through in her confession to Poppy at the end of the film. Alex’s proposal to Sarah immediately after a confession scene feels off-putting and out of character for him. As a result, I was inclined to feel more sympathy for a character, who should have been the ‘ex-girlfriend’ that I am supposed not to like. Frankly, I think it is time to shelf this trope. It is overused and problematic, often ending with the side love interest being used and abused without consequence.
Overall, I found this film more entertaining than most romcoms released by Netflix in the past five years. Although I had a few issues with side characters and overused cliches, I appreciated how the film prioritises the fragility of relationships and the effort required in their preservation. This is what takes the film up onto the next level for me; while it has some of the charm and tropes of a 90’s/ early 2000’s rom com, it ends with the decidedly modern interpretation of relationships as lasting efforts.
Alex and Poppy do not end up happily ever after. It ends with a resolving promise to ‘try’.
