Rom-Com of The Year?

By: Jesse Barshop

The People We Meet on Vacation Written by Yulin Kuang and directed by Brett Haley is a new Rom-Com that I have seen a lot in recent media. It is an adaptation of the book The People We Meet on Vacation and from what I can tell, they did an okay job. In recent years, Rom-Coms have only been mediocre at best. We had amazing ones in the 2010s like La La Land and in the 2000s with The Notebook. But the 2020s have been weak in the genre. They all seem like watered down versions of the classics. A lot of them follow the same plot just with a few changes to make it seem different. 

It follows the classic trope of introvert and extrovert with Poppy and Alex. They are long time friends who live far apart. But every year, for a week, they go on a vacation together. For most of them, they are only friends but it is shown that they both might have underlying feelings for each other but refuse to accept them. We get to see how one of them starts to question their feelings but then brushes them off. It’s a nice slow-burn love, but not personally for me. The characters are crossing a lot of boundaries because sometimes they’re in a relationship but borderline cheat on their partners with each other. It has its good moments, but a lot of cheesy ones which isn’t necessarily bad, but most of it doesn’t feel like a real conversation. I don’t think it’s an amazing film, but I don’t think it’s bad either. And don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for a good Rom-Com but I think it could be better and there are plenty of other great Rom-Coms and love stories out there. But I wouldn’t steer you away from it, I think someone who enjoys a frustrating and cheesy slow burn would like this movie. IMDb gives it a 6.7/10, I think it deserves a 5.8/10.