Shadows on the Wall | People We Meet on Vacation

People We Meet on Vacation

dir Brett Haley
scr Yulin Kuang, Amos Vernon, Nunzio Randazzo
prd Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Isaac Klausner
with Emily Bader, Tom Blyth, Sarah Catherine Hook, Lucien Laviscount, Miles Heizer, Jameela Jamil, Tommy Do, Lukas Gage, Molly Shannon, Alan Ruck, Alice Lee, Layton Williams
release US/UK 9.Jan.25
25/US Sony 1h57

Is it streaming?

There's a warmly comical tone to this engaging romantic comedy, which occasionally drifts into American Pie territory with its dopey sexual tension, goofy parental awkwardness and wacky almost-nudity. Thankfully, there are far more interesting things going on under the surface, and they're engagingly punched by director Brett Haley, gorgeous leads Emily Bader and Tom Blyth and a sparky supporting cast. It's colourful and over-slick, but also funny and sweet.

In New York, travel writer Poppy (Bader) is encouraged by her editor (Jamil) to write something more exciting. But she's exhausted after a series of trips, and now needs to attend the wedding of her old friend David (Heizer) in Barcelona. Even worse, this will require running into his brother Alex (Blyth), with whom she took non-romantic holidays for several summers before they fell out. When they meet up at David's lavish destination wedding in Spain, they catch up on the past two years. And Poppy needs to make a decision about her life choices.

Back-story is provided in extended flashbacks to Poppy and Alex's evolving connection, starting as annoying strangers with nothing in common on a road trip home from college. Then over the subsequent years, they have further adventures camping in the wilderness, partying in New Orleans and then on a momentous holiday in Italy. It's a platonic relationship that is laced with flirtatious tension, so there is clearly unfinished business between them.

Bader plays Poppy as a likeable mess who, even though she travels all the time has never learned how to pack sensibly. She loves life, but is unsure what she wants out of it. Blyth is seriously charming as a staid homebody who begins to like becoming the weirder "Vacation Alex" while travelling with Poppy. So while we never doubt where this is headed, the bumps along the way are entertaining and sometimes moving. And the surrounding characters provide plenty of extra spark.

In addition to a celebration of how travelling can widen your world view and provide unforgettable experiences, the running idea here is that you can do anything you want on vacation, even becoming a new version of yourself. Of course, you can do that without going away. But there's also an unusually dark, honest streak running through this story that catches us off guard. And the overlong running time allows space to explore that, providing a provocative kick.

themes, language 9.Jan.26

R E A D E R R E V I E W S

Still waiting for your comments ... don't be shy.