WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

In the age of streaming and the increasing demand for movies, Hollywood has reused old ideas from the massive hits of the late 20th century. “People We Meet on Vacation” is no exception. 

“People We Meet on Vacation” is another movie on an ever-growing list of cheap rip-offs. The movie begins with a talkative, eccentric Poppy (Emily Bader) carpooling with a polar opposite personality named Alex (Tom Blyth) back to their hometown in rural Ohio. Any “When Harry Met Sally” fan will immediately recognize this beginning. 

The movie continues with several time jumps and flashbacks of their eventual friendship slowly growing. Another example of the plot of “When Harry Met Sally.” 

If this film was supposed to be anything like the plot of “When Harry Met Sally,” the character design is their weakest link. 

The characters themselves seem very flat and set in their ways. Even when Poppy, technically, changes her traveling self by the end of the story, her character doesn’t change at all. She is still the strange, quirky girl who is in love with the mundane, boring Alex.

With all of this being said, there were some moments of genuine comedy. The scene with Poppy’s parents before their first camping vacation is a funny scene, followed closely by the events in the camp. 

The visual appeal is also what you would expect from a professional cinematographer. The cinematography in the film is very good, but it can’t cover up the problems with the writing. 

Even with the existing positives, the film has an overwhelming amount of writing problems and acting fails, in addition to an unoriginal idea. If you want to watch a good romance movie on Valentine’s Day, I recommend any of the movies listed in the Lilly vs. Noah section.