I know when you think of a film like People We Meet On Vacation, your brain doesn’t immediately think, “It’s time for some critical thinking.” However, somehow, after watching the film, I’ve definitely been hit with some interesting thoughts, and I’d like to share them with all of you, the people of the internet. People We Meet On Vacation tells the story of Poppy and Alex, two unlikely people who end up getting to know each other because they have to go on one long, awkward road trip together. But what starts off as an almost annoying first friend-meet-cute (I mean, they both looked cute, yeah?) quickly turns into an every-summer friend-cation. After having watched the film, my only real big issue with it was that the ending felt very random in comparison to the rest of the film. Maybe it was the flashbacks to the picturesque vacations, but then it made me dive deep into the book instantaneously, making me realize it was the character establishment that was truly lacking, which made it feel like the ending of the film came 15 minutes too early because we missed out on a chunk of some major self-reflection. But having read the book and seen the film, there are some slight deviations in the two that make the endings feel very different.
Spoiler Alert
Why Do Alex and Poppy Stop Talking?
The thing I cannot understand about this plot is how two people, who are presumably in their 30s, can’t seem to talk things out like mature adults after making a tiny mistake on vacation. I thought the whole point here was that vacationing adults are very different from regular adults, so these kinds of things can happen, no? But apparently, a very emotionally charged almost kiss from Poppy leaves Alex so upset that he decides to propose to his girlfriend the next day, and then proceeds to completely ghost Poppy for 2 whole years. I mean, they’ve been friends for a decade at this point, so it just doesn’t make sense. It’s interesting that Poppy wanted Alex with her in this moment because he’s such a dear friend of hers, not Trey (the culprit), because she’s so worried that this will ruin her life plan. Poppy and Alex are very different from each other, and this moment is a great example. He immediately knows what to do, while she’s lost and confused, not because of the situation she’s in but because she’s just that kind of person. Someone who says “wing it” to any situation life throws at her, except for this one, clearly. But in the book, things pan out incredibly differently. For one, Alex basically forces Sarah to go on this couple’s holiday, and there’s no proposal. In fact, instead, it goes from pregnancy scare to impulse vasectomy in seconds, which just felt really odd. Sure, Alex has got major trauma from his mother dying in childbirth, but I don’t think it should have led to this outcome, though maybe that’s just me.
In the film, it is specifically when Alex says he’ll always be there for Poppy that she decides to go in for a kiss, just after she’s found out she’s not pregnant. She does immediately apologize, but it’s already too late; it’s gotten to Alex’s head, because he’s finally getting what he’s been waiting for, but he also understands that Poppy’s the kind of person who will immediately change her mind. This is when it’s most obvious that the film kind of plays with the manic pixie dream girl trope. Poppy is literally the friend who gives Alex the freedom to be someone he’s not. She pushes him to try new things, to experience life rather than just live it. However, because this book is written by a woman, Poppy isn’t a vapid shell who doesn’t want anything for herself. She’s got her own plans, she’s got her own idea of life, and she knows for a fact that Alex will not want to be in it, because she knows Alex, so the only way for her to hold onto what they have is by staying friends. But, this doesn’t work in her favor at all, because the next thing you know, he’s proposed to Sarah, and she says yes too. This leaves Poppy kind of devastated, but she’s obviously too cool to admit it. Whereas in the book, Alex does not propose, not in Tuscany, and not ever, because he’s actually certain he wants Poppy and is willing to wait for her forever.
What Happens At The Wedding?
In the film, the duo meet again 2 years after Tuscany at the wedding of David, Alex’s brother. The only reason Poppy shows up is that she’s been struggling at work, and she thinks it’ll all be resolved if she ends up meeting Alex and fixing the issues they’ve had once and for all. However, this resolution commences with a lie, so that’s not great, is it? To make matters worse, the AC where she’s staying is broken, so she’s already suffering from the stuffiness of it all. But somehow, Alex follows Poppy into the house and confesses that he doesn’t want things to go back to how they were before Tuscany, specifically because he doesn’t want to be just friends with Poppy. But Poppy is too busy feeling guilty about Alex and Sarah breaking up; she thinks she was the reason. A bit selfish in my opinion, but sometimes your ego needs to be dismantled for you to really understand what’s going on. However, Alex makes it worse because he tells her that it is because of her that he’s not married. While this line of dialogue is almost the same as in the book, the major difference is that Alex and Poppy seem to be on talking terms even before they meet again, and they’re at Palm Springs, not Barcelona, for the bachelor’s. But also, she’s made it seem like they’re on this trip for R+R, but it’s all her doing. I think the film establishes Alex’s hurt better, whereas the book gives us much more of a backstory to make it believable that they were both crazy about each other but just blinded by the idea of a perfect life where, in their heads, the other didn’t fit.
In the film, Alex still has one problem with Poppy, and that is that she doesn’t know what she wants. Here’s the thing: Alex and Poppy are not 20-somethings in college right now. Ironically, Poppy was the one who was certain about what she wanted, so much so that she decided to fulfil her goals all by herself, quitting college and still keeping Alex around as a friend. He was the one who decided he wanted more but never told her because he was scared. What Poppy says in reply is the honest truth. Obviously, she wouldn’t have shown up in Barcelona if she didn’t want Alex. However, in the book, we hear a lot more of Poppy’s yearning for Alex, which is missing in the film, but I think that’s fine, because it makes Alex’s breakdown more realistic. He really doesn’t know that she’s also been in love with him and always worried that she was using him too much.
But the thing about the film is, when Poppy hesitates a little about what she wants next, Alex freaks out immediately. This is a wedding; it’s his brother’s wedding, but somehow all Alex can think about is his future with Poppy. This is when I thought for a few seconds that this guy might actually not be the right fit for her. Poppy didn’t ask for Alex to change his entire life to work around hers. She also didn’t expect things to progress the way they did, but this leaves her a little overwhelmed, which I think is a valid response, but it freaks Alex out because he’s waited so many years for this moment, and now he thinks it’s slipping away. Sure, Poppy is the kind of person who wouldn’t think much of this situation, because she’s the kind of person who says “wing it” to everything. But, this is Alex we’re talking about, yet another constant in her life, just like her vacations and the job she worked so hard to get. So I’m just confused by this response, really. This whole situation just doesn’t make that much sense. But in the book, it’s better established, because they’ve had other moments before when they felt like they were meant for each other and even ended up acting on them more than once. This makes both sides eager, rather than it feeling like Alex was the only one pining.
How Do Alex and Poppy End Up Together?
In People We Meet On Vacation’s ending, instead of writing about destination weddings in Barcelona, Poppy writes a beautiful registration letter to Swapna. To be fair, her boss has always been a huge fan of her work and treats her like a real human being. Poppy’s passion is commendable, which is why I guess there’s reason to find this resignation completely believable or completely unbelievable. Sure, Poppy might’ve grown tired of the job and needs a vacation from vacationing. But that doesn’t mean a full-on quit your job and move back to the city you’ve always hated. In the process of resigning, Poppy’s put out some of her best work, a letter about how she needs a break from the lifestyle she’s worked so hard for for herself. But will that keep her happy? In the book, though, the resignation comes after her confession to Alex. Also, Swapna is an actual mentor to her, though I do love her in the film as well. But having said that, I feel like the resignation doesn’t make sense in either place.
The ending of the film almost feels a little random, because Poppy goes back to Linfield, Ohio, in the hope that she’ll see Alex again. Ironically, after her speech about how Alex is her home, Alex says it doesn’t matter what they’ll do next because they’ll be together. But mate, you told her she doesn’t know what she wants in life when she said something similar. Ultimately, I think it’s Poppy who kind of settles, not for Alex, but for a life that isn’t the one she always dreamt of. Does that make this a tragedy of sorts? I guess it depends on whether you’re like Alex or Poppy. It’s great that Poppy finally found the courage to let go of a great friendship for a love that she fears won’t last, but it’s also unsettling that she does so by changing the entire trajectory of her life. But I suppose this is what Alex needed to see to accept that Poppy would be by his side forever.
At the end of the book, Alex and Poppy are in New York, and she’s got a column of her own. She’s working another job and seems to have found solace in being grounded rather than moving around. What is with stories of wanderers always ending with them feeling better when they’ve settled? I don’t get it. I don’t think that’s how it works in real life. I guess in the film, we can imagine Poppy might still want to travel, etc. It feels more open-ended in a way, like they both have found something with each other but can handle their own individual lives too. The book feels more sacrificial to me, but that could just be me. What did you think of the ending of People We Meet On Vacation? Did you think Poppy did the right thing? Let us know in the comments down below!
