Your Place or Mine is a romantic comedy movie about a love story between a single mom, who lives a safe and practical life in Los Angeles, and her friend, an aspiring writer turned business man in New York. The film stars Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde), Ashton Kutcher (That 70's Show), Wesley Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel's nephew), and Tig Notaro.
Debbie (Witherspoon) is getting ready to go to New York for a week to finish her degree and secure an accounting job. She plans to go alone and stay with her friend of 20 years, Peter (Kutcher), leaving her son, Jack (Kimmel), with a babysitter in LA. However, when the babysitter cancels, Debbie realizes she can't go to New York. That's when Peter decides to take care of Jack in LA, while Debbie goes to New York alone. They both encounter new and old friends in the city and find themselves and what's next in their lives.
This movie is like a classic romantic comedy. It follows the one-night stand to friends to lovers trope between Debbie and Peter. There are also simple character tropes between the characters. Debbie is a bubbly, sunshine girl and Peter is a businessman who has a troubled past. Alicia (Notaro) and Minka (Zoe Chao) are the friends both characters rely on to realize their feelings for one another. It's also a modern love story and talks about real topics like job security and co-parenting. Those topics are mostly related to Witherspoon's character, who plays a single mom in search of a practical job to provide for her son.
One feature I liked about the movie is the set design. Both characters' homes show their personality and the locations where some scenes were filmed are also really pretty. My favorite location in New York was the Manhattan Bridge and the neighborhood surrounding Peter's apartment. The locations in LA were mainly Debbie's house and Jack's school, so there wasn't a memorable location from LA. I guess most of the budget was spent in New York.
There are some loveable scenes in the movie between Jack and Peter. I don't want to spoil too much of the movie but, Peter helps Jack break out of his shell and routine. It feels like Jack is a very sheltered child and when Peter comes over, they both do things Debbie never allowed Jack to do, like watch tv while eating and before homework. Peter talks about his past to Jack to open him up, but the movie doesn't talk about Peter's past in a negative light. It addresses his past in a lighter, face-paced way. Maybe so it doesn't dull the movie about some really sad, truthful topics. Peter and Jack are honestly the highlight of this movie.
Your Place or Mine is a sweet valentine's day movie and one of the good Netflix rom-com movies. I loved Kutcher's character and the fun adventures he went on in LA. Another favorite Netflix rom-com of mine is Set it Up (2018). I enjoyed watching it for valentine's day.
Rating: 8/10
