When Harry Met Sally is lauded as one of the best romantic comedies of all time. Written by Nora Ephron and produced by Rob Reiner, the film offers the slow burn of rom-com lovers' dreams as it follows two recent college graduates who form a complex friendship over the course of decades. The film features gorgeous cinematography of New York City in autumn, and costume and hair changes on Harry and Sally (Billy Chrystal and Meg Ryan, respectively) as they age through several decades.

The dynamic between the characters has a timeless feel that continues to resonate with viewers in the 30-plus years since the film's release. The film's cultural significance inspired romance writer on the rise Emily Henry, whose #1 New York Times bestselling novel People We Meet on Vacation will soon get a film adaptation of its own on Netflix.

People We Meet On Vacation Can Be A Spiritual Successor To When Harry Met Sally

How This Modern Take On A Timeless Story Has The Potential To Become A New Classic

Brett Haley is set to direct Netflix's adaptation of People We Meet on Vacation. Haley previously directed All The Bright Places for the streaming platform, which was another book-to-television adaptation. Yulin Kuang, another romance writer turned screenwriter, is adapting the source material for the screen. Emily Bader and Tom Blyth have been cast in the starring roles, the former of My Lady Jane and the latter of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

The novel, published in 2021 via Berkley Books, follows Poppy Wright and Alex Nilsen as unlikely best friends who meet at the University of Chicago and remain friends for years post-college. Poppy loves to travel, and the pair maintain an annual tradition of taking a trip together every summer, which culminates in Poppy's career as a travel journalist. It offers a nuanced look at interpersonal relationships and their changing nature over time.

The pair's unlikely dynamic lies in Alex's responsible and academic nature versus Poppy's free spirit and curiosity. Netflix has churned out a number of successful rom-coms in recent years, some even applauded higher by critics than theatrical releases like Anyone But You. For example, Netflix's book-to-movie adaptation of To All The Boys I've Loved Before sits at a 96% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, while Anyone But You has a 52% critics' score. For this reason, critics look forward to the People We Meet on Vacation adaptation, which is set to begin filming next month (via Louisiana Entertainment).

How When Harry Met Sally Inspired People We Meet On Vacation's Author

Emily Henry Called Her Novel "A Homage" To When Harry Met Sally

In the Reader's Guide for People We Meet on Vacation, Henry confirmed that she wrote the novel in homage to the famous rom-com. Henry writes, "During their first scenes together, I find cynical, horny Harry almost unbearable. But then Ephron works her magic, and everything changes. A softer Harry emerges...and together, over the course of minutes and years, Sally and I fall in love with the last person we expect to." Henry goes on to clarify that a homage to the film was never her original intention, but that she grew to ire the story of two characters who are polar opposites learning to love and complete one another.

This dynamic is evident through Poppy's unconventional lifestyle's juxtaposition with Alex's safer route. The novel reminds readers that love can be found in unexpected places, and resonates so much that it dominated the New York Times bestseller list at #1 for 15 weeks.

Every Similarity Between When Harry Met Sally And People We Meet On Vacation

People We Meet On Vacation Gives The Central Story a 2020s Update

There are a number of narrative similarities and People We Meet on Vacation. Both the film and the novel begin on the campus of the University of Chicago, and both Harry and Sally and Poppy and Alex's friendships begin on a road trip at the end of the semester. Harry and Sally are carpooling to New York City together to begin their respective careers, and Poppy and Alex are heading back to their small Ohio hometown for the summer.

What is the most intriguing upon comparing the main characters of the film and the novel is that the traits associated with Harry and Sally are essentially gender-swapped in People We Meet on Vacation.

Sally is the character that maintains stable relationships and a career as a journalist, while Harry is in and out of casual relationships and works in the grueling world of politics. In People We Meet on Vacation, Poppy finds herself in several unstable relationships and is constantly traveling for work, while Alex returns to his hometown after receiving his doctorate to teach English at the local high school and care for his family, all the while maintaining one serious relationship that ends in heartbreak.

While gender-swapped, the novel creates a very similar dynamic to When Harry Met Sally that allows for the characters to spar with one another about their differences but ultimately come to understand one another. Additionally, the notable montage of Harry and Sally's late-night phone calls can certainly be equated with the humorous selfies Poppy and Alex exchange over text, giving the original story a millennial update. As When Harry Met Sally still maintains an 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes, People We Meet Vacation has the potential to the rom-com torch to a new generation.