Your Place or Mine is a romantic comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher in the lead. They play Debbie and Peter, two best friends who live on opposite sides of America. When they decide to switch homes and lives for a week, the two happen to discover hidden feelings for each other.
Story
Your Place or Mine opens in 2003 when a young Peter and Debbie meet and have sex. The plot switches to 2023, and it turns out that they are and have been best friends since their first meeting.
Debbie is a single mom who lives in LA with her son Jack and is a control freak. She goes about a monotonous routine and loves to be an overbearing mother, who forbids her extremely allergic son from doing anything.
Peter is a New York resident and doesn’t last in a relationship for more than six months. He also keeps moving between clients and has seemingly given up on his dream of becoming a writer.
He is dumped by his girlfriend on his birthday and refuses a permanent job offer from his current client. Fortunately, Debbie is supposed to be in New York for a week owing to an exam for a course she’s been taking online. Peter is ecstatic that at least he’ll get to meet his friend after ages.
Unfortunately, Debbie’s pal Scarlet gets an acting job and cannot watch over Jack while she’s gone. Peter comes to the rescue and suggests that Debbie needs a change of scenery, so he’ll fly to LA and look after Jack.
Once this swap happens, Peter is forced to confront residual feelings for Debbie while she has her own set of shocking realizations in store.
Performances
Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon are in their element in Your Place or Mine. Their chemistry is unmatched, which is surprising considering they don’t share much screen time.
Kutcher is no stranger to romance and comedy, and he plays Peter with a depth that you don’t get to see often in such films. His performance highlights Peter’s desperation to express his feelings, but he keeps the intensity in check.
Witherspoon shines as the paranoid single mom who doesn’t take risks. She makes Debbie incredibly believable and probably relatable for parents, but her arc also subtly highlights the problem with controlled parenting.
The supporting cast, including Jesse Williams, Tig Notaro, Zoë Chao, Wesley Kimmel, and Steve Zahn, among others, is the perfect complement to the narrative.
Positives
Your Place or Mine has a unique premise and plot structure as it doesn’t put the leads in each other’s company. Their shared history is what guides the way for their romance.
The comedy is subtle but tasteful, and the writing is not complicated. The film also does well to call out human insecurities and flawed parenting techniques. Fortunately, it doesn’t turn preachy in the process.
Your Place or Mine also highlights the drastically different personalities of LA and New York. The two cities feel like characters in the movie and play a vital role in its aesthetics.
Veteran writer, Aline Brosh McKenna, makes her directorial debut with this film and does well to keep the plot cohesive. It is not easy to maintain consistency with the story switching between cities and characters.
Furthermore, despite it having a detailed story, the film’s exposition style is unique and aids the narrative’s flow.
Negatives
The rom-com predictability strikes again with this film. The overall plot is fun but there are silly creative choices that leave you questioning things.
The secret novel in the oven is a bewildering decision, so is the rich neighbor tending to the garden. The buildup to Peter confessing that he has feelings for Debbie is a bit underwhelming.
Verdict
Your Place or Mine has its flaws but is certainly a comforting Valentine’s Day rom-com that is worth your time. Sure, you know they get together in the end, but the unique spin on clichéd tropes and stellar cast performances are what makes it interesting.
Your Place or Mine
Director: Aline Brosh McKenna
Date Created: 2023-02-09 22:24
3.5
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