Who doesn’t love a good romantic comedy, especially when most couples are basking in the afterglow of the most romantic day of the year? These feel-good flicks provide a charming escape from reality into a world where everything will work out right in the end.
With that in mind, does Netflix’s new movie starring Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher fit this mould? Yes, albeit a little too safely.
“Your Place or Mine” starts with Witherspoon’s Debbie and Kutcher’s Peter having a drunken one-night-stand after game night with some friends. A time jump 20 years later takes viewers to the present day, where the duo remain friends while living across the country from each other.
The plot starts rolling when Debbie has to go to New York to take a college course. Peter offers to house-swap for a week (vibes of “The Holiday”, anyone?) to look after her 13-year-old son Jack (Wesley Kimmel) in Los Angeles.
They thus find themselves in each other’s homes, which are designed to reflect how different they are despite being “best friends”.
Her place looks straight out of the 1950s, with its pretty garden and colourful but cluttered kitchen; his apartment is a stark contrast, with a plain minimalist interior and floor-to-ceiling windows with killer views.
This arrangement, naturally, allows them to delve deeper into each other’s lives and, as things move along, it becomes clear they don’t tell each other everything despite yakking on the phone every day.
Heck, it’s probably no spoiler to reveal they gradually discover they have hidden affections for each other – a fact they are “surprised” to learn, despite it being blatantly obvious to their friends (and the audience).
So, do these adorable platonic partners eventually acknowledge and confess these feelings? Or are they destined to live the rest of their lives as BFFs and nothing more? Oh, the suspense!
Lacking magic
Both immensely charming and likable in their own right, Witherspoon and Kutcher regrettably spend most of the film physically apart, mostly in split-screen telephone conversations.
In a movie that should be carried by the leads’ chemistry – and to be sure, both stars have plenty of rom-com experience – it kinda falls flat here and leaves more to be desired.
Also, while viewers keep being told they’re best friends, it doesn’t actually feel like there’s a solid reason for them to be. Their relationship is portrayed through “tell, don’t show” here, which is a pity.
Aline Brosh McKenna – whose credits include being the writer of “27 Dresses” and “The Devil Wears Prada” – makes her directorial debut with this film; but sadly, most of the depth and wittiness from those titles seem to be missing here… that almost indefinable magic ingredient that would have made “Your Place or Mine” truly stand out.
That said, the movie is not without its highlights. The opening scene is particularly cheeky and a neat throwback to the early 2000s, with onscreen texts showing various dated sartorial choices of the time – think wallet chains, multilayered clothing, flat-ironed hair.
As supporting characters go, Zoe Chao steals the show as Peter’s ex-girlfriend Minka, who seems way too happy to spend time with Debbie and serve as her personal guide.
Her sassy one-liners and chic clothing in the polished New York setting are so entertaining that a spin-off movie centring on her would definitely be on this writer’s watch list!
Tig Notaro, meanwhile, adds a welcome dry sense of humour to her character Alicia, Debbie’s middle-school co-worker-slash-friend who truly deserves more screen time.
Overall, “Your Place or Mine” seems to be content with what it is: a cosy and nicely shot effort with amiable characters that makes for an enjoyable, if vanilla, weekend watch. And hey, maybe there’s nothing wrong with that.
‘Your Place or Mine’ is streaming on Netflix.