Your Place or Mine which was set to be the movie that helped Netflix revive the early 2000s romantic comedies has received mixed reviews so far. While some are extremely satisfied with the light-hearted and easygoing nature of the movie, others expected some more action. The movie was directed by debut director Aline Brosh McKenna, who is also the writer of multiple successful romantic comedies such as 27 Dresses and The Devil Wears Prada.
The movie cast included familiar faces such as Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher. Not only that, released just a few days before Valentine’s Day, the movie was welcomed with high expectations. It is a part of the romantic comedy genre, one that has been suffering in recent years. Here’s what the movie presented to its eager audience.
The Return of a Light-Hearted Romance
The noteworthy point of the movie is how it plays out. A slow romance with a strong buildup. It has a similar buildup to Love Rosie, where the protagonists spend years in denial of their feelings because of circumstances out of their control. In Your Place or Mine, two best friends finally find their way to each other. There is less emphasis on the harsher aspects of life or the troubled past of the characters and more focus on the humor and romantic aspects to ensure the viewer feels uplifted rather than burdened with what they have watched which made it a fantastic addition for couples’ watch list on Valentine’s Day.
The movie starts in 2003 with a look into Debbie (Reese Witherspoon) and Peter’s (Ashton Kutcher) one-night stand that ended with the two becoming best friends. Initially, he ghosted her only to get back to her and strike a friendship that has now lasted 20 years. But, they live in separate parts of the country; Los Angeles for Debbie and New York for Peter. And yet, their friendship has survived.
The Familiar Trope
The movie follows the friends-to-lovers trope and keeps also the romance lovers hooked. Debbie is going to New York for a week and will stay at Peter’s place leaving her son, Jack alone for the first time. Debbie’s ex-husband is a mountain climber who stays outdoors for most of the year, which can ensure a viewer that he is not involved in his son’s life. While they are on a video call on Peter’s birthday at the start of the movie, Debbie also shows Peter something very important, a poker chip from the night Debbie and Peter slept with each other in 2003. It is a memento, but Peter hates mementos. This is a sweet memory of sorts.
The movie goes on and Peter’s girlfriend Becca (Vella Lovell) breaks up with him. For some reason, he is not too bummed out about it. It isn't hard to guess why. But at the same time, Debbie faces a setback and can't go to New York, as Jack’s babysitter pulled out last moment. Now, Peter who does have some time on his hands offers to take care of Jack in LA so that Debbie can come to New York to take the course she wanted to.
While they spend time at each other's place, a lot come to the realization of each other. The belief that they told each other everything gets broken, and new revelations are made. Peter goes against many of Debbie’s rules to bond with Jake and help him deal with mean "friends," while Debbie gets pulled in by a more literature-based course and Peter’s ex-girlfriend Minka (Zoe Chao).
Things continue to go in a different direction than expected, Debbie meets a famous editor, Theo (Jesse Williams) who gains a liking for her. But Theo or Peter? A question that plagues the viewer. While Theo seems perfect, Peter is someone she has had an emotional connection with for 20 years now. Things continue to progress between Theo and Debbie as she meets him again about Peter’s secret unpublished book. While Peter helps Jake with hockey tryouts (something he is not allowed to do by Debbie), Debbie secretly works to get Peter’s novel published.
Peter’s Expected Confession
When Debbie invites Theo back to the apartment after their date and things get a little steamy, they accidentally turn on the in-house camera from the complicated set of buttons on the iPad. And well, Peter sees things he shouldn’t have and throws away his phone. Literally. At this point, both Peter and Debbie have temporarily lost contact with each other. Peter, who was already uncomfortable with Debbie’s neighbor who had feelings for her is now over the edge and goes to a familiar bar from when he lived in LA. There he meets with an old acquaintance hoping to have the same action. But he couldn’t do it.
This is where Peter confesses to having had feelings for Debbie from the first night they were together. Even when he wanted to act on those feelings he couldn’t because something or the other happened, and eventually it got too late. At the same time in New York, Debbie finds another of Peter’s secrets. Not another novel but mementos. Mementos of their memories and the most important one being a poker chip from their first night together.
The Happy End
While Debbie is trying to figure out Peter’s thought process, Peter takes Jack to hockey practice. Debbie eventually rejects Theo, and thanks her for the job opportunity. And just when we think we are reaching the soft end, Jack gets injured during practice and Debbie is furious. All thoughts of love vanish, and she flies back to LA and tells Peter to leave immediately as well.
They meet at the airport and practically yell at each other while going in opposite directions on the escalator. A lot of truths come out. They realize they do not tell each other everything, that Peter saw Theo and Debbie in his apartment and some hurtful things were said to Peter’s poker chip falling out of Debbie’s luggage and the real questions are asked. Why did Peter never confess? But that doesn’t matter anymore, and the scene ends with Peter finally confessing.
The movie ends with Debbie and Peter getting married. While it is tough at times, they are happy with Peter finally being an author and Debbie an editor.