Perfect Creature (2006)

Emily Henry took the romance novel world by storm in 2020 with the release of Beach Read. When People We Meet on Vacation came out two years later, she cemented herself in the romance canon. As a committed follower of Henry’s career, I was delighted when Netflix announced a movie adaptation of People We Meet on Vacation, the story of travel writer Poppy and the shy, quiet Alex. Even though it is my least favorite book she has released so far, I looked forward to seeing one of my favorite author’s work on my screen.

Unfortunately, People We Meet on Vacation didn’t hold up quite as well as I’d hoped. While a younger me was entranced by Poppy’s belief that small towns are a trap that force you to be someone you aren’t and that travel can solve all ills, four years later it doesn't hit quite the same. It does get better as the film goes along, but one hour into a rom-com is far too long to wait before liking about the main character. Part of that is my stage of life, but a far larger part is the fact that this is a male directed film that doesn’t invest in Poppy’s characterization.

The romance is told primarily from the perspective of Poppy, yet she is one-dimensional in a way that she isn’t in Henry’s novel. Actress Emily Bader does her best to portray Poppy’s annoying-yet-lovabable qualities, but it comes off more Manic Pixie Dream Girl than real human being. While that energy was present in the book, it was offset by the fact that Poppy had an interior monologue, none of which we get in the movie version.