A movie about romance and travel is something everyone loves, and with a friends-to-lovers plot, “People We Meet On Vacation” is just that kind of movie.
“People We Meet On Vacation” is a highly rated movie directed by Brett Haley, based on the novel written by Emily Henry. And although there are some slight differences between them, they both still give off the same heartfelt story.
The story goes back in time many times to show how Alex, played byTom Blyth, and Poppy, played by Emily Bader, came to be such best of friends. The movie takes us to each summer that they go on vacation together. It shows us the amazing memories they make, which bring them closer and closer together.
Alex and Poppy are long-distance friends, with Poppy living in New York as a writer, and Alex living in a small town in Ohio as a teacher. Every year, they meet up for their annual trips despite living in different cities. But the old classmates turned travel buddies, visiting a new destination every year, never missing the one week they got together, until they started to drift apart, due to Alex’s relationship.
But their friendship returns to normal when they go to a wedding for Alex’s brother. There, they finally confess their love for each other. But every love story has to have some plot twist. After an argument between them that ends with them separating, due to Poppy wanting to figure out what she wants. She realizes that she doesn’t care where he goes; she wants to be with him no matter what, and she never feels lonely when she is with him.
The plot of “People We Meet On Vacation” is friends-to-lovers; it starts off with them both not liking each other, then being best friends, and then lovers. Poppy and Alex are two best friends who are opposites in every way you can imagine, which may be the reason why they are so in love. Poppy is outgoing and a wanderlust-filled wild child. Alex, on the other hand, is introverted and mild-mannered. This makes their love hard to break; even though they had other relationships, they still can’t replace what they have together.
While thinking of what the theme could be for this movie, it comes down to this: Vacation vs. Home. For the majority of the move, travel is Poppy’s shield, her safe space. It allows her to create a fake version of herself. Not a true one. She becomes the fun, adventurous girl without the messy consequences of her everyday life. But in the end, Poppy is forced to sacrifice the very thing that she built her identity around: the escape, or the travel. By quitting her job and choosing to live with Alex and leave everything behind, she proves her love for Alex is greater than the fear of her boredom and just staying in one place.
Alex, for the majority of the movie, was about choosing a stable partner. Only for the reason that he believed he couldn’t survive the heartbreak of losing Poppy. Now, he knows that she’s worth taking a big leap for and risking it all for her. By the end of the movie, with them in their apartment in the final scene, the “vacation” is now over, and their actual life together begins.
Overall, “People We Meet On Vacation” is a heartfelt and fascinating movie that captures the beauty of friendship, love, and personal growth. We see that in Alex and Poppy’s journey, true love is not about being perfect or comfortable, but about choosing eachother, despite the fear and uncertainty. By the end, both characters learn what truly matters and are willing to take risks for happiness. “People You Meet on Vacation” is a movie that is definitely worth watching.
