With Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher in front of the camera and The Devil Wears Prada writer Aline Brosh McKenna pulling double duty as writer and director, Netflix‘s latest romantic comedy Your Place or Mine seems to have all the right pieces to succeed, and the recent box office success of Ticket to Paradise points towards a genre that hasn’t become tired with audiences yet.
Unfortunately, Ticket to Paradise also finished with a 57 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and as more and more critics come forward with their opinion, Your Place or Mine looks destined for a similar fate.
Kutcher and Witherspoon star as Peter and Debbie, two long-distance best friends who wind up swapping homes for a week; the latter to chase a lifelong dream, the former to keep watch over Debbie’s teenage son while she pursues such a thing.
We’re not quite sure how the logistics of this one will work out onscreen, but again, that sounds to be the least of Your Place or Mine‘s worries.
Owen Gleiberman of Variety was left unimpressed with Netflix’s latest entry in its already-unimpressive comedy film list, going as far as to call it “two bad movies in one” and also managing to land on the word “chintzy” as the winning adjective for it.
“Your Place or Mine is an outrageously benign movie, which may not sound like much of a criticism. But it’s so benign it’s innocuous.
Deadline‘s Pete Hammond was a touch kinder, pointing out how the film’s overtly benign ethos was likely an intentional move by McKenna (not to mention one that isn’t uncommon in the genre), even if that particular goal doesn’t result in anything particularly interesting.
“There is nothing particularly original or groundbreaking in the new Netflix rom-com Your Place or Mine, yet it is just that comfortable familiarity in a movie that isn’t trying to rewrite the rules of engagement in a time-worn genre that makes this pleasing confection a perfect Valentine’s Day offering.”
And Kate Erbland of IndieWire called the film predictable and forgettable, but also noted the sweetness of it, suggesting that’s likely the only thing fans of the genre would ask for anyway.
“Tropes and predictable plotlines? They’re the meat and potatoes of the rom-com, but that doesn’t mean that these films shouldn’t be without conflict, without a little instability, without a little worry that happily-ever-after might not arrive after all.”
One might wonder just how far the romantic comedy genre is capable of pushing its limits without becoming The Lost City. Conversely, it’s entirely possible that it’s not a genre meant for pushing the limits, and Your Place or Mine, rightly or wrongly, only seems to reinforce such a hypothesis.
Your Place or Mine is available to stream on Netflix.
