Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cast is draw in likable romcom; language, sexual situations.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Your Place or Mine
What's the Story?
In YOUR PLACE OR MINE, Debbie (Reese Witherspoon) and Peter (Ashton Kutcher) have been best friends for the last 20 years. That was when the two slept together and then went their separate ways. Now Debbie lives in Los Angeles and dedicates her life to her overprotected 13-year-old son, Jack (Wesley Kimmel, nephew of Jimmy Kimmel). Peter is a financially successful businessman in New York City who can't seem to form any lasting romantic or even platonic relationships beyond his friendship with Debbie. And the two talk on the phone every day. When Debbie needs a babysitter so she can complete an accounting course in New York, Peter offers himself. He and Jack bond for the week in LA, while Debbie rediscovers her own long-ignored passion for the editing world in New York. Will the two realize they want more than friendship while they're away?
Is It Any Good?
You know the lead characters will get together, but the road to happily-ever-after in this romantic comedy is less predictable than you might suspect from the trailer. Your Place or Mine (a title that also doesn't do the story justice) certainly follows the formula -- from meet-cute to separation to realization to togetherness. But more interesting is what happens along the way, as a lonely businessman bonds with a stifled teen boy and a sensible single mom takes a pause and rediscovers her own goals and desires. The settings -- colorful California and elegant New York City -- are also attractive.
Witherspoon and Kutcher have been scripted a good mix of comedic and more earnest situations to act out, and they're bolstered by a great supporting cast. The deadpan Tig Notaro plays the straight-talking LA friend, and a droll Zoe Chao is the overly confident (and overly convenient) millennial sidekick in NYC. Steve Zahn appears in a goofy role that feels like something we've seen from him before, and Jesse Williams is memorable as Debbie's aspirational love interest. There are some funny lines about Debbie's "Saran Wrap parenting" and "Gen-X earth mama" style and involving Peter's attempts to "rebrand" the unpopular Jack. The result is an unsurprising but agreeable romantic comedy whose cast is likely to prove the main draw.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why Peter and Debbie aren't together as a couple but have remained best friends in Your Place or Mine. Does the premise seem realistic? Why, or why not?
What are some formulaic aspects of romantic comedies seen in this film? Did any of the story or the characters' actions surprise you?
The film's opening makes use of split screens and hand-drawn titling on images to set up what happened in the past and where the main characters are today. What did you think of this introduction? Would you have liked more of this in the movie? Why, or why not?
What's the appeal of romantic comedies? Why do you think they remain so popular?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : February 10, 2023
- Cast : Reese Witherspoon , Ashton Kutcher , Zoe Chao
- Director : Aline Brosh McKenna
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : Friendship
- Run time : 111 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : suggestive material and brief strong language
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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