Netflix’s newest rom-com was released on Feb. 10, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Almost two decades after the blockbuster “The Holiday” featured Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet switching homes, I didn’t imagine that a rom-com would follow this premise again, but “Your Place or Mine” does it — and it worked so well.
Centered around two old friends, Witherspoon and Kutcher play book-lovers Debbie and Peter, who hooked up once in 2005 but decided on friendship over passion. They are total opposites; while he’s very wealthy and living on the East Coast, she’s a single and protective mom on the West Coast. When Debbie decides to do a week-long study program in New York, Peter offers to take care of her son in Los Angeles, which turns their lives upside down.
They swap homes for a week, but it is long enough for them to experience each other’s lives. As the story unravels, Peter and Debbie realize that there might be more than friendship in their relationship, and like almost every rom-com, it’s already clear that the main characters will end up together.
What sets this typical trope apart is the twist: Viewers don’t get to see Witherspoon and Kutcher in the same place until the very ending. The movie begins with split screens and follows this path for 90 minutes, but even time stops when their characters finally get together.
Writer-director Aline Brosh McKenna, who has brought viewers so many gems, including “The Devil Wears Prada” and “27 Dresses,” invests in a similar atmosphere for her new rom-com. It’s been a long time since the public watched a good old-fashioned love story, and McKenna fabulously recreates that heartwarming aura we used to feel 10 or so years ago.
“Grey’s Anatomy” star Jesse Williams is also featured in the movie as the classic “other man.” He bumps into Debbie and gets in the way of her feelings for Peter. Williams portrays another charming version of his Grey’s Anatomy character, Jackson Avery, and although he’s only a supporting character, he was a good addition.
Witherspoon, who also produced the film, flawlessly portrays a down-to-earth and cheerful character who always puts her son as her priority but has dreams of her own which she had to set aside to take care of her 13-year-old. Witherspoon’s character hoped to be a successful editor, but she got off track when she got married (and then divorced).
Kutcher is funny and charming in his role as a character with dreams that also didn’t come true. His plan of being a writer didn’t work out, and he ended up becoming a rich but sad and anti-romantic consultant. However, Debbie and Peter discover secrets they had hidden from each other for years when they switch homes, and those secrets might be the key to some fresh new beginnings.
The movie transports the viewers to a cozy and hopeful place where, in the end, everything falls into place, like in a fairy tale. Seeing Kutcher and Witherspoon together might be a great idea for Valentine’s date.
“Your Place or Mine” makes us forget the world around us for a few moments and feel loved and hopeful that one day we will all find our person — even if it is in 20 years.
“Your Place or Mine” is streaming only on Netflix.
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