Film Review: People We Meet on Vacation (2026): Netflix Romance is Moving and Romantic Despite Some Overall Predictability

People We Meet on Vacation Review

People We Meet on Vacation (2026) Film Review, a movie directed by Brett Haley, written by Yulin Kuang, Amos Vernon and Nunzio Randazzo and starring Emily Bader, Tom Blyth, Sarah Catherine Hook, Lucien Laviscount, Miles Heizer, Jameela Jamil, Tommy Do, Lukas Gage, Alice Lee, Molly Shannon, Alan Ruck, Spencer Neville, Ian Porter, Madeleine Akua, Bethany Anne Lind, Michael A. Newcomer and Laura Flannery.

Filmmaker Brett Haley’s wonderfully conceived new romantic dramedy, People We Meet on Vacation, starts out so predictably that it’s rather deceptive in making the viewer think that this one has been done a million times before. It hasn’t. That’s because the lead performers are close to solid gold thanks to the star’s energy levels. They’re Emily Bader and Tom Blyth in endearing performances as the characters, Poppy and Alex. Bader’s character name sounds like she has been named after Katy Perry’s character in the Trolls movies, and it all feels a bit amateurish and familiar at first, but, soon, the movie becomes so heartfelt, touching and sincere that it reaches the point where the romance actually works magic on the viewer in an indescribable way. When the tears fall from your eyes at the end, you’ll know that the beautiful themes of the film rang true, loud and clear.

Poppy is the more personable one of the two romantic leads. She’s the more spontaneous of the pair even though underneath Alex’s serious exterior, he shares all her exact passions. Poppy and Alex meet in school after having grown up on opposite sides of the same town. They end up agreeing to take vacations with one another on a regular basis after they decide that they’ve formed a pretty strong connection as best friends.

This film soon shifts to many different times in these characters’ lives as they go on several different vacations. One of them leads them to a room that’s too hot while another scenario leads them to dance together to a Paula Abdul song to make others they meet believe they are actually a real romantic couple. You probably can guess that at least one of these two main characters has romantic feelings for the other, but don’t worry, this movie is so entertaining, you’ll eventually stop counting the familiar elements of the film and start focusing on the more unique aspects of the picture.

Molly Shannon makes an appearance as the mom who stuffs a bunch of boxes of about 100 condoms in Poppy’s hand, just in case she needs to use one with Alex. Shannon is, as usual, quite funny in a short, but sweet, role within the picture, adding her distinct personality to the humorous part. In support as one of Alex’s more serious girlfriends, Sarah Catherine Hook is also quite good as she gets a scene of revelation regarding her relationship with Alex in an airport late in the film that rings surprisingly true. This movie is all about the chemistry between Bader and Blyth, though. This pair of friends steams up the screen with their chemistry whether it’s simply platonic or not.

Bader puts so much heart into this role, it’s impossible not to be moved as she leans in to kiss Alex at a key moment of confusion between them that challenges the pair immensely. Blyth is complex as Alex as he loves his Ohio home town because he met a woman he connected with who lived there as well- Poppy. Poppy is a perfect challenge for Alex and vice versa. This movie isn’t cheating on the viewer at all by leading the audience down the path to finding the real feelings the two main characters possess for one another. Director Haley very subtly throws in plot twists and turns when you least expect it and the result is a movie that will win your heart over before the end credits roll.

People We Meet on Vacation does up the romantic vibes that a movie like this should possess, almost to perfection. This movie is more concerned with developing the two main characters than the side ones. A man Poppy becomes involved with seems cartoon-like with a dumb tattoo, but Poppy, it becomes clear, is fooling herself into thinking there’s another fish in the sea for her to love other than Alex.  Call it the fault of the movie, if you must, but none of the partners Poppy and Alex choose are formidable opponents to stop the love between Poppy and Alex from growing. It almost makes things seem too easy for Poppy and Alex to end up in each other’s arms. Then again, true love is often not always recognizable at first in real life so the movie is actually pretty plausible in terms of the lead characters’ perception of the bond between them.

As Poppy runs after the athletic Alex towards the end, audiences will be cheering on these characters and hoping they end up together by the time the movie concludes. Taylor Swift plays on the soundtrack at one point and while her music is right at home in this movie, the film isn’t your typical every day romance because of the emotions that Bader and Blyth successfully pour into their respective parts here. It’s a good film. These People We Meet on Vacation. They’re really memorable ones.

Rating: 7/10

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