With so many book adaptations set to debut on screen this year, it’s a great time to be a romance reader. Emily Henry is getting an early start at just nine days into 2026, with the highly anticipated friends-to-lovers story of Poppy and Alex, played by Emily Bader and Tom Blythe.
Netflix’s movie adaptation brings these characters to life. Poppy, a travel blogger, and the embodiment of wanderlust, is bright-eyed and carefree, while Alex is … not. One (long) car ride together, nine years prior to the start of the film, sets their friendship in motion. Each year they take a vacation as platonic travel companions, but this year there’s a problem in paradise.
Emily Henry is a powerhouse in the romance genre, and director Brett Haley aims to set the tone for elevating the rom-com genre by harkening back to the Jerry Maguire days.
“It was really important to me, because of the fans, to get it right. To do something that was made with a ton of love, a ton of care, and that we were true to these characters that are so beloved. I think that is the appeal of Emily’s books—her characters, it’s the way that she writes people,” Haley tells Los Angeles.
With the eyes of EmHen’s devoted readers of the international best-selling book, and just about all of BookTok upon them, Henry and Haley delivered.
“Emily’s work is that good, and that nuanced, and that deep. This was my opportunity to do that romcom I’ve been waiting for, ” says Haley.
Scroll to continue reading
Harry, Sally … meet Poppy and Alex.
“I’m always fascinated by friends-to-lovers because it’s such a difficult thing to get right. And yet, I think it’s a really true and honest version of how a lot of people fall in love. Kind of the way that they look at someone changes over the course of a long period of time. When I read I readPeople, that’s when I was like, oh, I have to make this. A big, classic, but grounded, human, and honest rom-com was on my Mount Everest of genres that I wanted to make. I find them to be really comforting, and I find them to be extremely artistic,” says Haley.
From the minute the adaptation was announced, fans of Henry’s books have been sharing their fancasts, favorite quotes, and other non-negotiables to see on screen. Most notably, the Palm Springs of it all. People We Meet on Vacation is not a 1:1, but it does get the Emily Henry stamp of approval.
Haley recalls the initial conversation he had with Henry about the film, wanting to emphasize that her approval and her understanding of the fans were crucial for the success of the film.
“I call it the Emily Henry Stamp. I was like, if I didn’t get the stamp of approval, it didn’t go in the movie. Her and I became really quite close through that process because there was a lot of up-and-down, we didn’t know if this was going to get made or not. Of course, there’s pressure being the first film to come out in what we’re calling the ole EHCU: Emily Henry Extended Universe.”
If readers are looking for Palm Springs, they’ll have to drop that pin a little further east in Barcelona, which got the Emily Henry Stamp. Locations and logistics change, but the essence of Poppy and Alex shines through. Haley comments on the casting of these beloved characters and how the fan reaction was delightfully positive.
“When I met Tom and Emily, I just knew. I was like, it’s them, 1-million percent, and I know no one has cast this, or even mentioned either one of them, but I have this gut feeling it’s right, and I expressed that very passionately to Emily. Then she saw the chemistry read and wholeheartedly agreed, and so we were obviously really relieved, and thrilled by the reaction. That’s the best reaction you can get from the fans. It’s something that they didn’t think of, but that they love.”
With Tom Blyth having starred in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, and Emily Bader in My Lady Jane, they are not new to the expectations often set by the online community.
Haley says, “They really fit into the niche that we didn’t even think of when we were casting Tom and Emily, but I was like, oh, it’s President Snow and Lady Jane. It just sort of worked. After the fact we realized that that was sort of hitting that BookTok audience sweet spot, but Tom and Emily got this because they’re just incredible actors and their chemistry was off the charts—and is off the charts in the film.”
A major difference from page to screen is the narrator’s inner monologue. Book Poppy is a very internal character; externalizing her proved to be Haley’s biggest challenge. The use of timeline shifts helps provide that context. The film follows a non-linear narrative, building the characters’ relationship over nine years against various vacation destinations in summer sequences. The opening line, “On vacation you can be anyone you want,” allows Vacation Poppy and Vacation Alex to come out and play. This is where we see the real them at their truest selves. Providing viewers with the swoon-worthy quote, “I’m only weird when I’m with you.” The audience journeys back and forth with the pair as they navigate their present, which, at best, is awkward. Alex’s brother David’s wedding in Barcelona forces them to confront each other after something happened two years ago that cut contact between them.
Haley is on a mission to restore the former glory days of rom-coms’ past with People We Meet on Vacation. The film aims to show depth through color, while shadow usage provides emotional weight. That distinction is meant to elevate the adaptation within this genre that often favors bright, flat lighting. Haley praises the production design and costume design teams for the film’s vibrancy and effectiveness in pulling the viewer into the story to get lost in their world.
“When Poppy’s alone in her apartment in New York and it’s raining outside, intercut with David poolside in Barcelona. You can feel that, and you can feel the lack of warmth in her life literally. We made a lot of very specific decisions in that way, and I think that for whatever reason in the rom-com genre, there is often a lack of intentionality around filmmaking like this,” Haley says.
Haley hopes that People We Meet on Vacation establishes a benchmark for Emily Henry’s work and the larger romantic comedy genre to be taken seriously on screen. This film sets the tone for Henry’s five additional adaptations in the pipeline. As Haley puts it, “I do think this is the bar that the other movies should be held to. This is a genre that is so needed right now, and people are yearning for this type of material. They want vulnerable, beautiful stories up on that screen, and Emily’s books do that across the board. I’m so excited for these filmmakers who are doing her other adaptations. I want them all to cook, to do their thing, to make their own movies, but I hope that we set a really great sort of bar. To set a standard for not only what an Emily Henry movie looks like, but what a rom-com could be. I am thrilled for people to experience it and I hope that they see all that care in the final product.”
Emily Henry’s devoted readers will spot a nod to another of her best-sellers, Beach Read, and even a cameo of the author herself in the film. People We Meet on Vacation is just the beginning of Henry’s adaptation adventure. Whatever comes next to screen, fans know Henry’s type of romance is the type to stick with them long after the vacation ends.
People We Meet on Vacation is streaming now on Netflix. www.netflix.com/peoplewemeetonvacation
Victoria Finocchio
Source link
