Joylynn Lee
Executive Arts Editor
The new Netflix film, “Your Place or Mine” impresses viewers with a romantic-comedy that consists of a well-written story and a brilliant cast.
“Your Place or Mine” is about two best friends, Debbie and Peter, who live completely different lives. Debbie lives as a single mom with her son, Jack. Peter lives in Brooklyn where he works as a marketing executive. Due to a job-opportunity Debbie goes to Brooklyn while Peter goes to LA in order to take care of her son. By tangling up into different settings, both Debbie and Peter start to realize that even after 2 decades of friendship, they still don’t know everything about each other. As the story proceeds, an unexpected romance topped off with numerous comical factors starts to intertwine between Peter and Debbie.
“Your Place or Mine” was written and directed by Aline Brosh McKenna, who is known for writing hit movies and shows like “The Devil wears Prada,” “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” and “27 Dresses.” The cast consists of Reese Witherspoon playing Debbie; Ashton Kutcher playing Peter; Steve Zahn playing Zen; and Wesley Kimmel playing Jack. The cast presented a flawless production of a modern romance with realistic elements throughout the duration of the film.
Whitherspoon impresses viewers once again with her ability to act in general. She portrays Debbie in such a realistic way by adding bits of charm. She represented a single mom who worked strictly on a schedule with slightly overbearingness over her son. Since Whitherspoon was mainly known for her early 2000s film, “Legally Blonde,” there were some doubts about her representation of Debbie in this film. However, her acting was spot-on throughout. Her high-pitched voice provided more character and liveliness to Debbie once again creating another iconic character on screen.
Kutcher brings his charisma to the screen with his inconsistent and unsure bachelor character, Peter. From the start, Kutcher brings out a clearly unstable man who couldn’t ever seem to keep a relationship for more than 6 months. From starring in unforgettable films like “Valentine’s Day,” “No Strings-Attached,” and “That 70’s Show,” Kutcher never disappoints. By portraying Peter’s charismatic character, he draws in viewers with this role. By moving from Brooklyn to California, viewers truly start to see immense character change within him. The shallow unsure man finally finds stability out in California while finally realizing why he could never seem to find his other half.
The setting of this film was set out in both L.A. and the luxury waterfront apartments at 60 Water Street in Brooklyn. Debbie’s house in California was such a quaint house with multiple interior colors and fit her perky yet somewhat uptight personality perfectly. On the other hand, Peter’s house was in a gorgeous modern apartment in Brooklyn representing his character in this film. He represented a wealthy marketing executive with an overall empty life due to his bachelor lifestyle. By switching settings, Debbie and Peter both realize part of their lives that were missing. Peter and Debbie have substantial character growth from Debbie letting go of her punctual overbearing life to Peter finally finding consistency in his life.
The film truly encapsulates a modern and realistic story. The characters consist of ages in the mid-40s adding something new to typical romance films. “Your Place or Mine” uses elements of well-known and iconic Rom-Coms like “Sleepless in Seattle” and “You Got Mail” due to the actual physical disconnect due to their distance. However, even by being inspired by these 90’s films, McKenna does a wonderful job in representing modern and original elements throughout the film.
From a comical and romantic storyline, “Your Place or Mine” earned its rightful place as Netflix’s current #1 film. The setting, acting, and feel of this movie was a pleasant surprise leaving an ensured smile on viewers’ faces from the beginning of the movie to the end.
“Your Place or Mine” was released on Feb. 10 and can be seen exclusively on Netflix.
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