Your Place or Mine movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Your Place or Mine

This romantic comedy premieres exclusively on Netflix on February 10, 2023.

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour 49 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Netflix gives us a romantic comedy with two of the most bankable stars in the genre!

This is Aline Brosh McKenna’s directorial debut in a feature film. She also wrote and produced the film! The idea came from a personal experience she had that was somewhat similar.

YOUR PLACE OR MINE sees Reese and Ashton playing Debbie and Peter, who’ve been best friends for 20 years even though they’re total opposites. Practical, risk-averse accountant Debbie craves routine and stability with her son Jack (Wesley Kimmel) in LA; Stylish brand consultant Peter thrives on change in New York City. When they swap houses and lives for a week, they learn they haven’t told each other everything after all and discover what they think they want might not be what they really need.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Unmarried people sleep together (We don’t see any action)
Some profanity
We see a shirtless man.
Kissing

THEMES:

Friendship
Single moms
Dreams
Mementos from the past
Moving forward
Helicopter parenting
Making a living doing what you love

THINGS I LIKED:

I really like the cast, which includes Reese Witherspoon, Ashton Kutcher, Rachel Bloom, Steve Zahn, and Tig Notaro. I really loved Rachel Bloom and Vella Lovell together in the musical TV comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I was sad we don’t get to see more of either of those two in this movie.
Jason Bateman and Reese Witherspoon are two of the producers of this movie.
As a published author of 31 books, I love it when movies feature writers and people who love literature.
All of the characters are fun and endearing.
Several characters keep asking Ashton Kutcher’s character, “What comes next?” He has a hard time answering that question, reminding us that we should always be looking forward, making plans, and having a clear vision of the future we want.
There is a lot of humor and quick-witted banter.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

I’m super old-fashioned and never slept around before getting married, so I’m not entertained watching other people do that.
It’s extremely predictable but still a fun watch.
Cliched but cute airport scene.
It feels like a rom-com from 10 or even 20 years ago. It’s not particularly fresh.
Every time Ashton Kutcher kissed Reese Witherspoon, I kept thinking about his wife in real life, Mila Kunis, and how she must have felt about that. It killed some of the romantic moments for me. As it turns out, Reese and Mila have been friends for years. Mila poked fun at them recently, pointing out how they looked so awkward on the red carpet at their press events while promoting the movie.

FUNNY LINES:

“I’m just a lonely guy with outstanding hair…” – Peter (Ashton Kutcher)
“As my drunk mother used to always say, ‘Mind your own business.'” – Debbie (Reese Witherspoon)