The “meet cute.” The complications. The snarky side characters. Not to forget about the dramatic airport reunion complete with the perfect kiss. From “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” to “27 Dresses,” the list of iconic, feel-good romantic comedies from the early 2000s are endless. These romantic comedies from this time are fan-favorites and serve as the perfect comfort movies. However, when was the last time a more recently produced romantic comedy pushed the envelope?

Unfortunately it was not with Netflix’s new film, “Your Place or Mine,” which was released on Feb. 10, 2023 and directed by Aline Brosh McKenna. This film is a disappointing excuse for a romantic comedy. A combination of poor chemistry between the actors along with a painfully predictable ending makes the film hard to sit through. If one is looking to waste one hour and 51 minutes of their time, this is the perfect movie for them.

The film begins with a flashback where the love interests Debbie (Reese Witherspoon) and Peter (Ashton Kutcher) spend a night together, and then fasts forward 20 years to the two as middle-aged adults living across the country from one another as best friends.

Obviously, the two are complete opposites. Debbie lives in a small, cozy house in Los Angeles. Peter lives in a roomy, modern penthouse in New York City. Debbie is divorced and an overprotective single-mother to her 13 year old son Jack. Peter lives alone and struggles having relationships that last longer than a few months.

Initially, Debbie has plans to visit New York City for a week to complete an accounting program in order to earn a degree for a better-paying job. When her son’s babysitter cancels at the last minute, Peter offers to fly out to Los Angeles to watch Jack, so Debbie can stay in Peter’s apartment and complete the program.

Once the two swap homes, they get to see different sides of one another by settling into each other’s lives. The annoying and unnecessary side characters throw off the film’s course. Debbie meets Minka (Zoe Chao), Peter’s ex-girlfriend who is weirdly eager to befriend her. Minka’s whole personality is being a “trendy millennial,” which she even calls herself at one point during the movie. There is no doubt that her character is irritating and her acting was overly scripted. 

Meanwhile in Los Angeles, Debbie’s friends Alicia (Tig Notaro) and Zen (Steve Zahn) befriend Peter. Alicia is another mom from Jack’s school who shows up at random times offering Peter coffee – both bizarre and confusing! Not to mention that the chemistry between the two is undoubtedly awkward. 

Debbie’s oddball neighbor Zen spends all day gardening and playing guitar in Debbie’s yard. To Peter’s dismay, he discovers that Zen spends all his time in Debbie’s personal space in hopes of impressing her because he has romantic feelings for her.

Predictably, once Peter realizes he has romantic feelings for Debbie, Debbie realizes she has feelings for Peter all the way across the country. Although the ending was painfully unsurprising and anticlimactic, it was abrupt. About five seconds after the two reunite, the movie flashes forward six months later to Peter and Debbie living happily ever after.

Although this movie was lighthearted, it was boring, dry, overly predictable, and a bit too cliche. Instead of watching this movie during one’s next Netflix binge, opt for a timeless romantic comedy from the early 2000s to avoid being left disappointed.