Emily Bader as Poppy Wright and Tom Blyth as Alex Nilsen in 'People We Meet on Vacation.'Image via Netflix
By
Jake Hodges
Published 2 hours ago
In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 2500 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom.
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This past weekend saw a shift at the top of both Netflix streaming charts in the U.S. Most notably, the TV chart finally found a new champion following the dominance of the sci-fi spectacle Stranger Things' fifth and final season and the prolific Harlan Coben's latest novel adaptation, Run Away. Now, the new limited series His & Hers, starring the eye-catching duo of Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson, is the most-streamed title on Netflix, although for how long is anyone's guess.
On the movie charts, another new title took the top spot during its debut weekend, following a revolving door of leaders. At the time of writing, the globetrotting rom-com People We Meet on Vacation is the most-streamed movie on Netflix in the U.S. Based on Emily Henry's bestselling novel of the same name, the movie stars My Lady Jane's Emily Bader and Tom Blyth of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes fame as they ooze buckets of chemistry during a decade-spanning will-they/won't-they tale. Also starring the likes of Alan Ruck, Molly Shannon, Sarah Catherine Hook, Jameela Jamil, Lukas Gage, and Miles Heizer, a synopsis for this instant hit reads:
"Free-spirited Poppy (Emily Bader) and routine-loving Alex (Tom Blyth) have been unlikely best friends for a decade, living in different cities but spending every summer vacation together. The careful balance of their friendship is put to the test when they begin to question what has been obvious to everyone else -- could they actually be the perfect romantic match?"
'People We Meet on Vacation' Has Impressed Critics
Despite releasing in a famously underwhelming month for movies, People We Meet on Vacation is an early contender for this month's surprise hit. Earning strong 79% scores from both critics and audiences on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has been praised for its central performances and heart-soaring, emotional climax. Collider's Carly Lane gave the film a 9/10 in her review, writing, "Bader and Blyth are an irresistibly charming duo, and the decision to move the story's present-day scenes from Palm Springs to Barcelona results in some of the film's most stunning locations. Not only will you be rooting for Poppy and Alex to make things work, but you'll also probably end up with a little wanderlust yourself."
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People We Meet on Vacation
Like Follow Followed PG-13 Romance Comedy Drama Release Date January 8, 2026 Runtime 109 minutes Director Brett Haley Writers Yulin Kuang, Emily Henry, Nunzio Randazzo, Amos Vernon Producers Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Isaac KlausnerCast
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Tom Blyth
Alex Nilsen
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Emily Bader
Poppy Wright
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People We Meet On Vacation
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Netflix
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