Greetings again from the darkness. We always hear that the most challenging rom-coms to make are the friends-to-lovers stories. That theory has always confused me since one of the best, if not the best, of the genre was WHEN HARRY MET SALLY … a perfect example of friends-to-lovers. Along that path comes the film adaptation of Emily Henry’s romance novel, directed by Brett Haley (THE HERO, 2017) and written by Yulin Kuang, Amos Vernon, and Nunzio Randazzo.
Poppy (Emily Bader, “My Lady Jane) is a free-spirited travel writer who never misses a chance to talk about her desire to explore the world. Alex (Tom Blyth, “Billy the Kid”) is a reserved guy who prefers a quiet life. Despite growing up in the same small Ohio town, Poppy and Alex never met until she hitched a ride back home from Boston College. The ‘opposites attract’ theory doesn’t hold here … well, the two beautiful people are definitely opposites, but there would be no attraction were these two characters placed anywhere other than in the middle of a rom-com.
Against all odds, a bond of friendship does form. Poppy and Alex make a pact to meet once every year for a vacation – a way to get her mind off of work and a way for him to get a bit more adventurous. The film shows us different trips the two take together, and we see some of the blips that occur along the way. It’s obvious to see how Poppy learns to appreciate Alex’s stability, while Alex gains an understanding of Poppy’s wild side. Supporting work comes from Sarah Catherine Hook (Piper in “The White Lotus”) as Sarah, Alex’s on-again-off-again girlfriend, Lukas Gage as a guide they meet on a trip, and Molly Shannon and Alan Rick as Poppy’s hugging parents.
There is never any real doubt about where all this is headed – only how long will it take. Brett Haley’s movie will serve the same role as Emily Henry’s novel: a warm blanket for those who believe in the destiny of love.
Premieres on Netflix on January 9, 2026
Posted by David Ferguson 
Greetings again from the darkness. We’ve seen movies where the seasonal residents interact with the locals, and often the class differences come into play. The term for northerners who head south for the winter is ‘snowbirds’. In the Hudson Valley, we learn the ‘townies’ have a nickname for the rich folks who come for the summer … ‘Joy Riders’. This is the first feature film from writer-director Rebecca Eskreis, and she displays a real feel for the contrast that exists between these two groups.
Movie Reviews from the Dark 