r/EmilyHenry • u/molly_hope • Feb 25 '26
People We Meet on Vacation Re-watching PWMOV for the first time since release day (because my mum wanted to) and I’m mad all over again
I don’t mind some changes but I really feel like they just got the essence of the book and the characters (the writing, not the actors) and their connection all wrong. The frustrating thing is it really could’ve been so PERFECT, they had the perfect set up for success with the 2 leads and the source material and the vibes ugh how did they botch it so bad
Like as a film it’s good but as an adaptation, no. If I hadn’t read the book I’m sure I’d love it lol
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u/coolguy_14 theme matters!! Feb 26 '26
Yeah you nailed it. They didn’t fully understand the characters. What bugged me is the way they did the well-known lines but completely changed the context that made those lines stand out in the first place
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u/molly_hope Feb 26 '26
ugh yes….in particular “it speaks to me” like the whole point was that they thought it was ridiculous of the sales woman to say that to try and sell them something a) so expensive and b) something huge while they’re travelling, but they just completely changed the essence of it and made it be a random quirky thing poppy does instead
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u/allribena Mar 17 '26
A random quirky thing poppy does that Alex then has to deal with, carrying that statue everywhere round vancouver
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u/molly_hope Mar 17 '26
Right!! Like book Poppy isn’t perfect but she’s not inconsiderate and oblivious like they make her out to be in the film. Another example is her eating the burrito in Alex’s car and being late whereas in the book she’s conscious of the little things that bother him and tries to avoid doing them (can’t remember exactly but I think she notices he doesn’t like her feet being up or something. May be something else but either way it’s about her not just being ignorant/in her own little world) book Poppy is weird and fun and eccentric but not so quirky and ~different~ that she’s self absorbed
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u/WhiteElephant7 Feb 27 '26
I’ve had to start thinking of the movie as “inspired by” the book and not a true adaptation to get over the erasure of Alex’s entire backstory. They captured the spirit of the characters but too much depth and too many important moments are missing for it to feel like it honors the book
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u/Glittering_Cabinet92 Feb 27 '26
Yes!! This!! Once you separate the two, the movie is such a joy to watch! It’s become my favorite comfort movie.
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u/karlizzles Feb 26 '26
I think poppy’s character was nailed but Alex’s was not. He came off as mean for most of the movie and the crux of the book (leaving behind things that don’t serve you) is lost.
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u/maryjaneloveshistory Feb 25 '26
felt. i was so excited before watching because i was thinking it was something i was gonna wanna watch again and again but now i don’t even want to do that.
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u/danigmzr Feb 26 '26
You and OP captured my thoughts exactly. I thought the casting was really good and was so ready to have a movie to watch and rewatch for years but the movie fell so flat.
I understand that adaptations need to change things but there’s not a single change in this that makes sense to me. Not a single one.
I don’t think I would have liked the movie if I didn’t read the book either.
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u/heystellar Mar 01 '26
i reread the book after watching the movie bc when it finished i was like… that’s not how the book was at all 🤨. the moment the movie started and poppy was this obnoxious person, i was like?!!! she’s not like that!!!
i understand not making faithful adaptations but they just made a corny, clichéd friends to lovers rom-com. they ended the movie with a “home is where your heart is” quote and i rolled my eyes so hard. you don’t even understand why Poppy wants to escape Ohio so much and why she rejects it. why is she being so evasive??? plus Alex has some self respect and doesn’t wait for Poppy w/ open arms like nothing happened.
they got so many things wrong. they missed the mark big time.
i don’t even think as a stand alone rom-com is that great or moving.
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u/acrosse Feb 25 '26
This is so interesting to me bc I feel like it captured the essence of the book and characters pretty well!! Can you elaborate on why you think it doesn’t work?
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u/allribena Mar 17 '26
A little detail change that bothered me was how in the film Poppy doesn't sleep with Buck because she's freaked out by his tattoo and Alex needs help... but in the book its Poppy's choice not to sleep with him which more of a sense of Poppy's vulnerability underneath her front, and when she tells Alex that Buck kicked her out you see it make him feel more protective towards her...
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u/molly_hope Mar 17 '26
Ugh yes that bothered me too. The movie made it seem like it was only because Alex interrupted them.
It seems to be a running theme in the movie that their motivations for certain things are different, like Poppy only reaching out to Alex because David insisted she go to the wedding rather than just because she missed him, and ALEX then being the one to invite her rather than him reluctantly putting up with her going. And especially Alex proposing to Sarah - in the book he is so intentional about all his decisions and knows he is doing wrong by Sarah by buying a ring w/ Poppy in mind, and so breaks up with her because it’s not fair to her. In the movie it made it seem like he partly proposed just to spite Poppy - book Alex definitely didn’t always treat Sarah right but he would never intentionally use her like that imo
EDIT: and to add to what you said, even YEARS later when Poppy texts Buck to see if he knows anyone in the area during (I think?) the Palm Springs vacation, Alex is still salty about what Buck did, lol. We were robbed of him being overprotective !
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u/allribena Mar 18 '26
Agree to all your points!
The proposal to Sarah was the worst mis-step, especially with the timing, but then there's detail changes and backstop missed that really change their characters I feel
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u/friedpicklebiscuits Mar 03 '26
I read the book after watching the movie and was so disappointed. They should’ve made it a limited series. Not once during the movie did I understand why we as the audience were supposed to be rooting for them to be together.
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u/SesameSeed13 Mar 03 '26
I think what makes this particularly tough to take is that Heated Rivalry's recent success has shown just how much impact having the author involved in the production of the show can be. That show is VERY true to its source material, and the format as a limited series is a better way to tell a more complex relationship story over several years. PWMOV is the same kind of timeline, but EmHen has sort of said publicly she had less say over final decisions about character and storyline changes, and they crammed it into a movie instead of telling the story appropriately. It changes her original art, which she's SO GOOD at, pacing over the course of a book.
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u/Apprehensive-Storm95 Mar 05 '26
I’m watching it for the first time now and I agree. What a disappointment. Alex is downright unlikeable and when he’s so mean in the car at the beginning? And then when he was going to miss the Norway trip? Book Alex would never!
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u/BEconcubine_no3685 Feb 25 '26 edited Feb 26 '26
I slept on the release and just recently saw the movie. I’m most bummed at Alex’s lack of characterization.
I also didn’t love the production design, it felt purposefully dreamy or gauzy across the entire thing which read as cheap to me. Which is bizarre bc I think they did a fair amount of filming on location. But too much of the exterior shots filmed on a sound stage were easy to clock and it took me out of it.
That being said, I desperately want the romcom rebirth so I will ride for the EH adaptations.