Like “When Harry Met Sally” on Vacation

I’m a film critic likes to travel on vacation, via movie screenings and relaxation. In fact, I come from a family that likes to travel. And last week on Instagram, when I listed all the places I’ve traveled to in 2025 (like Colorado, Baltimore, Florida, Boston, Chicago, Maine, and Vermont), my folks couldn’t believe how many places I’ve traveled to last year.

But I’m not bragging to those who don’t or can’t travel. I’m brining it up because I’m reviewing “People We Meet on Vacation,” which is a Netflix romcom about friends who travel a lot. And for most of the way through, it has a sweetness and sometimes a goofy sense of humor. Although I think IMDB labels it as just a romance, because it starts off funny and then it takes the chemistry seriously.

Let’s meet those people before I discuss about their chemistry.

We meet Poppy Wright (Emily Bader from “Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin” and “My Lady Jane”), who travels to different places for work, but has been feeling a little disenchanted lately as observed by her boss (Jameela Jamil).

We also meet her best friend Alex Nilsen (Tom Blyth from “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” and “Billy the Kid”), who was annoyed her quirkiness and screw ups when they did a drive share. But they both realize that they’re “platonic travel companions.” But do we the Netflix streamers really buy that? Do Poppy’s parents (Alan Ruck and Molly Shannon). After all, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan had a lot more chemistry than they expected in “When Harry Met Sally.” And her mom gives them plenty of condoms. Not that they need them anyway.

Poppy and Alex reunite when he invites her to his brother’s wedding in Barcelona. She reluctantly agrees to come, especially when she convinces her boss that she could write a story on her trip. But we’re more interested in how these two characters will turn out, instead of the what the potential comeback story will bring for her.

In the months and years of their “platonic travel companionship,” Poppy loves to travel, while Alex prefers to stay home. And they’ve also had different spouses-Poppy dated Trey (Lucian Laviscourt) and Alex dated Sarah (Sarah Catherine Hook).

The comedy I’m referring to regards some awkward moments like Poppy messing up Trey’s car and how he goes skinny dipping in the ocean, only for the waves to take away his clothes. It might sound like the sense of humor that failed in James L. Brooks’ latest entry “Ella McCay,” but it’s handled in an honest and lively sense. I can tell because I was laughing.

“People We Meet on Vacation” drags on a bit during the second half, but most of the movie allows us to care about these two individuals and their views on traveling. It doesn’t need to rely on Alex’s cynicism of traveling to tiptoe in his “platonic traveling companionship” with Poppy. It relies on what life has in store for them, and you can tell that in spite of some circumstances, they have some high spirits. And Bader and Blyth both know how to play their characters with the right tone and emotions.

Directed by Brett Haley (“Hearts Beat Loud,” “I’ll See You in My Dreams”) and based on Emily Henry’s book, the movie has a certain kind of charm that caters who those who speak positively about these kind of romcoms, instead of acting like it’s supposed to do so. It makes the wise decision of being itself and knows the distinction between traveling and friendship. And it works on both equations, based on how you examine them. And I’m still convinced it’s also a comedy, instead of just a romance.

I could use a vacation after seeing this.

Streaming on Netflix