There are three things you can expect from Hollywood year-in and year-out: Overblown action flicks in the summer; pensive, often depressing, awards-seeking dramas in the fall; and fluffy, lightweight, romantic productions on Valentine’s Day. This year, there are three: “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” “Somebody I Used to Know,” and “Your Place or Mine.”
‘Election’ Revisited
In a role that could be an older version of her Type-A Tracy Flick character from “Election,” Reese Witherspoon stars as Debbie, a divorced single mom wishing to fulfill her longtime desire to become a book editor.
In order to do this, Debbie must first attend a series of workshops in Manhattan, which seems kind-of only-in-the-movies far-fetched. It’s a good bet these same types of classes are readily available online or somewhere near her home in L.A., but then we’d have no need for the force-fit principal plot device.
Two decades earlier, Debbie had a one-night stand with Peter (Ashton Kutcher), a non-specific consultant of some sort living in—wouldn’t you know it—Manhattan. In the years since their tryst, Debbie and Peter became platonic friends that speak frequently. She tells him everything and believes he does the same, which isn’t the case, one of the few interesting subplots which surfaces at the midway point.
After her actress girlfriend bails on Debbie, Peter offers go to L.A. and look after her tween son Jack (Wesley Kimmel). Jack is allergic to practically everything, a condition which slowly but surely transforms Debbie into a helicopter parent on crack. Her constant hovering has made Jack resentful of her as he believes this to be the reason he can’t make any friends or participate in normal kids’ stuff.
From the get-go, it’s very clear where the whole thing is going to end up. It doesn’t help matters that McKenna pinches many storytelling devices from the aforementioned Ryan-starring flicks. While Debbie and/or Peter are shown for the majority of the running time, they are actually only on-screen together for less than five minutes. The remainder of the time it is via split-screen which gets real old real fast.
Kutcher: Same Ol’ Same Ol’
For Kutcher, who has next to no range, this is just another notch in his generic romantic comedy belt. From “Just Married” to “My Boss’s Daughter” to “A Lot Like Love” to “What Happens in Vegas” to “No Strings Attached” and so on and so forth, Kutcher turns in slightly different vanilla variations of the same largely clueless pretty boy.
It is only when Kutcher goes broad (“That ‘70s Show,” “Dude, Where’s My Car?”) or dramatic (“The Butterfly Effect” or “Vengeance” from last year his best career performance by far) does he ever make any kind of indelible or lasting mark.
To be fair to Kutcher here, the most noteworthy line McKenna gives him in this movie, a comment where he brags about his perfect hair, is self-aware and self-deprecating, but not likely in a way that was intended.
Kutcher was fortunate enough (some might call it blessed) to have a handful of scenes opposite writer and stand-up comedian Tig Notaro, who shows up intermittently as Debbie’s coffee-addicted friend Alicia. Performing the chore of a Greek chorus, Alicia’s dialogue feels lifted from a much-better, all-together different movie, and Notaro’s trademark deadpan delivery lends it welcomed sarcasm and sting.
Dedicated fans of Notaro will certainly watch the movie just to see her and won’t mind suffering through the rest of it in the process. If you’ve never heard of Notaro and appreciate off-beat humor, you might be prompted in checking out her previous work, especially the documentary “Watch Tig” which deals with her battle with breast cancer and her rather unconventional manner of turning it into great comedy.
In the end, “Your Place or Mine” delivers enough of the goods to fans of “upbeat and passable, if you don’t think about it too much” rom coms. These movies aren’t intended as high art (or even medium art), but they do serve a purpose and enough people watch them to ensure they’ll never stop being made.
Comme ci comme ça.
