People We Meet on Vacation

Synopsis: A man and woman who are ‘just friends’ meet every summer for vacay. Rifts emerge and sparks fly.

Poppy and Alex are unlikely best friends. According to People We Meet on Vacation, it’s because they are opposites attracting. Poppy is a unfiltered free spirit and Alex is a straight-arrow reserved guy. According to IRL, they are unlikely best friends because they have nothing in common.

Poppy (Emily Bader) is a writer for a travel magazine. Her boss Swapna (Jameela Jamil) is a glamazon who negs her, but when push comes to shove, she tells Poppy that she’s the best writer she has; and Poppy must keep writing for the world’s sake. Poppy, based in NYC, is always on the go. Her next assignment is in Santorini, but then she gets a call from David (Miles Heizer) who is marrying Nam (Tommy Do) in Barcelona. He asks why she hasn’t RSVP’d and will she please attend their wedding. Poppy hedges, because she had a falling out with his brother Alex, who used to be her best friend.

Poppy’s best friend is the gorgeous and conventional Alex (Tom Blyth). They met ten years earlier when they were students at Boston College. Like in the rom-com classic When Harry Met Sally, the two first connect when they arrange a ride home together from college.  Poppy is late meeting driver Alex. He’s peeved because now they will hit heavy traffic. When they hit the road, Boston’s highway system looks like it’s a shopping mall access road that goes through a softball field. This is because Louisiana sites stand in for Boston. And Ohio. How I wish  productions would just send a staffer with an iPhone to the actual site and grab some footage. 

Fussy Alex does not like it when Poppy eats a giant burrito that messes his car. She further torments him by turning up the radio to her fave jam, a Paula Abdul song. The erstwhile American Idol judge, was a pop singer in the 80’s. I think the 80’s song sent them through some old timey portal before the US had a gigantic highway system because they drive from Massachusetts to Ohio on country roads, devoid of any franchises. This gives them plenty of time to talk. Like an over-caffeinated teen who is taking her first road trip, she shouts FOMO sentiments, telling Alex of all the world traveling she wants to do. Where, she asks, would you be right now, if you could be anywhere?

Home, he says, or Canada.

Canada, the more polite US? she laughs.

The two end up sharing a room at a shabby motel. With Poppy in the bed and Alex settling in on the icky floor, they compare their experiences growing up in Ohio. She says she hated moving there during middle school; she never stopped feeling like an outsider. By contrast, Alex feels drawn to his small town. He might even want to return there to teach. Poppy, understandably, wants to expand her world.

Back to present day… Poppy asks her boss if she can write a story on Barcelona instead of Santorini. Sure; there hasn’t been enough publicity on Barcelona. The actual residents can’t get enough of the tourists. But remember, Poppy is the boss’ fave. She notifies David that she’ll be at the wedding and books a rental.

Poppy and Alex had a mysterious falling out. But it seems Poppy has decided it’s time to heal the rift. Alex doesn’t appear to be holding a grudge, because he picks up Poppy from the airport. Thankfully, Poppy has matured and no longer shouts at him about Paula Abdul. The two cautiously make polite small talk. When they get to the rental, it’s clear that the AC is broken. Alex gets on a chair & tries to fix it. When that doesn’t work, they give up. Over the next few days, it doesn’t occur to Poppy to call the rental agent or owner. She just sweats it out. I think it’s supposed to be a metaphor for the heat building between them or leading to an actual case of heat prostration that will shock them into knowing they are meant to reconcile.

Flashbacks fill in their friendship history. While they’re still in college, they take a summer vacay to Alex’s dream destination, Canada. They explore Squamish, British Columbia together. Poppy tries to get Alex to loosen up and have fun. She accepts an invite from a local to camp  with a bunch of other 20 somethings. That night, Poppy smokes weed with a cute guy. With some encouragement from Poppy, Alex walks over to talk with a woman who was making eyes at him. She invites him to skinny dip with some other campers. As everyone doffs their togs and jump into the roiling water, I was like: No, Alex. Canadian waters are freezing! But you can see Alex psyching himself up to do something out of character: something Poppy-like if you will. Also, Spain subs for Canada, so I was glad that the actors wouldn’t really be too cold.

You may be wondering why two goodlooking people who adore each other won’t get out of the friend zone. Me too. Well, people, it’s because then we wouldn’t have this story. At some point, Alex has a girlfriend. Poppy has a series of hot boyfriends. One of whom is Alfie from Emily in Paris. In PYMOV, he’s Trey (Lucien Laviscount), her muscled and proudly nomadic surfer-photographer boyfriend of the moment. Alex and his Barbie-looking girlfriend Sarah (Sarah Catherine Hook) meet-up with Poppy and Trey in Tuscany. In fact, the villa is Tuscan-style, but in –you guessed it– Spain. Sarah seems to reluctantly accept her boyfriend vacationing with his cute, straight woman friend. I could just imagine her Am I the A-hole post: AITA for wishing that my boyfriend wasn’t constantly texting his best friend (a straight woman) and going on  just-the-two-of-us vacations? As for Alfie–I mean Trey– he’s too into himself to notice or care what Poppy does when he’s off taking photos from his surfboard.

The only vacay that seemed authentic was the one to New Orleans because it was actually shot there. It’s good advertising for the Big Easy, as we see the characters enjoying live jazz music, and dancing through the streets. I’m glad that Poppy and Alex were enjoying themselves slinging back Hurricanes and scarfing down beignets. I wasn’t onboard when they lied that they were honeymooners to get free stuff and told an actual honeymooning couple all about their fake love affair. Well, I tried not to be too judgey, but I was sickened when Poppy karaoked and danced to a Paula Abdul song. 

You know, now that I think of it: I hate Poppy. She makes a point of embarrassing Alex and goading him into things he doesn’t want to do. She’s the ‘friend’ who announces to your family that you’ve done some pretty wild things, things they’d never imagine. I must admit that Emily Bader’s performance made me long for Lacey Chabert of Hallmark movies fame.

PYMOV is based on the book of the same name by Emily Henry, who has a big fan following. Maybe there are sections that develop their friendship and personalities some more, but in the movie, she’s kind of a brat and he’s kind of a lunk.

Maybe I’ll give the book a try. Or New Orleans. And if the AC is out? Imma holler til it’s fixed.

Movie Loon’s Movie Review Shortcut:

Grade:  C

Cut to the Chase:  Not exactly a credit to the rom-com genre, but ok if you need a fix.

Humor Highlight:  Poppy’s current fling Trey going on about his superior nomad lifestyle. He says he’d never want a mortgage or a mailbox. Alex softly asks, He doesn’t have  a mailbox?