It’s a story we’ve seen a thousand times. Longtime friends who are seemingly perfect for each other can never make it work as more than friends. For one reason or another, they always just miss each other. It’s the basis for countless romantic comedies. And like the rom-com genre in general, it’s a tried and true approach. It’s simple and straightforward, and most viewers are able to imagine themselves in that situation. The drawback to this setup being used so often is that over time, it lowers the ceiling for these movies, unless they’re able to do something unique or unexpected or truly special with the premise and characters.
It could be perfect chemistry between the leads, or a terrific supporting cast, or effectively building the tension between the constant near-misses. And that’s where Your Place or Mine fails (the supporting cast is *almost* there, though). It takes its setup which should make for an easy win and…does nothing with it.
The two friends in question here are Debbie (Reese Witherspoon) and Peter (Ashton Kutcher). After becoming friends and hooking up one one time back in 2003, their relationship never progressed more than that, and they remained close friends through the next 20 years. Jumping ahead those 20 years, Debbie lives in Los Angeles with her son, Jack (Wesley Kimmel), and Peter lives in New York. The two talk every day and are still best friends even while living on opposite coasts.
Debbie is planning a trip to New York, both to visit Peter and to complete a certificate to give her a career a kick in the butt. But when her babysitter cancels at the last minute, she has to cancel the trip. But then it’s Peter to the rescue, offering to come out to LA to watch her son while she stays at his place in New York to finish her class. And the swap is on, allowing both to gain some previously unknown insight into the other’s life.
Peter has some support in Debbie’s coworker and friend Alicia (Tig Notaro), as he initially struggles to adapt to Debbie’s life. But surprise! He overcomes it almost right away. Debbie makes a new friend in Peter’s neighbor and ex-girlfriend Minka (Zoë Chao), who helps break Debbie out of her rigid routine-based life.
Your Place or Mine is already working from behind with this setup. It’s one thing to have two people who keep missing their chances to be together. But it’s another to keep them separated by an entire country. It’s hard to get the audience to root for a couple when they don’t spend any time together. Yes, they talk on the phone and FaceTime, but it’s not the same. As a result, there’s no chance for Kutcher and Witherspoon to build any real chemistry. Could I buy them being friends? Sure. Best friends? Maybe, though it’s a bit of a stretch. Two people who are in love and meant to be together? Nope.
That fault is even more amplified when you see the chemistry between so many other pairings. Peter and Alicia and Peter and Jack are great together. The storylines and jokes don’t always work, but their relationships are at least believable. The bond Peter and Jack eventually form feels earned.
The same goes for Debbie in New York. She and Minka become fast friends and you immediately buy it. Debbie eventually meets book editor Theo Martin (Jesse Williams) and they have an instant connection. The sparks there are what we should see between Debbie and Peter. But the movie never gives us a chance to see or feel that. It feels like the movie is asking the audience to want them to be together because that’s the way these movies are supposed to work. There’s nothing deeper going on.
While this is a huge problem, it’s not the only problem. If the leads are an issue, hopefully there can be at least a few laugh out loud moments. But sadly, there aren’t. That being said, Chao is a saving grace here, easily the best part of the movie. She gets most of the funniest bits and she feels like perfect casting. Steve Zahn also gets some shine as Debbie’s (kind of) hippie neighbor Zen. Another bit of perfect casting.
Then there are the usual romantic comedy tropes. Your Place or Mine hits several of the usuals, though it may feel to many simply like ticking items off a check-list. This might be enough to satisfy some genre-enthusiasts, but probably in a “that was fine but completely forgettable” type of way.
The supporting cast does all the heavy lifting here, and that’s not what you want, especially when you have two mega A-Listers like Kutcher and Witherspoon leading your movie. They provide some good laughs, but with a generic-as-you-can-be script and no chemistry between the leads, it’s not enough.
Score: 52/100
