Da me o da te

A standard romantic comedy that takes place in 2003. Directed by writer Aline Brosh McKenna, who has written many popular romantic comedies, including "27 Dresses" and "The Devil Wears Prada," the film is a typical feel-good movie that is good for a lazy day on Netflix. Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher star as Debbie and Peter, who have been best friends for 20 years. They are opposites, with different lifestyles and personalities, and the movie follows their journey as they switch homes for a week. While the two lead actors are good-looking and charismatic, the film is let down by its bland script and lack of depth. The supporting characters, including Tig Notaro and Zoe Chao, are more interesting, but overall the movie is predictable and lacks any real twists or surprises.

I kinda tune out in the middle. The potential is there since we have been running out dry from rom-com movies with big stars.

Also coincidently this movie comes out as I was in the mood for Legally Blonde and thus I'm in the mood for Reese Witherspoon.

She looks fabulous here and Ashton also looks good to look at.

Unfortunately, they don't have much interaction at all and the whole movie is just not that interesting. Not much comedy, not much chemistry between the main character due to their distance. Sleepless in Seattle developed more connection despite the long distance and communication through radio.

Definitely a miss opportunity...

I do like Zoe Chao's character. She's like the best friend to have. Supportive, rich, and fun to be around. A scene stealer.

This one stays watchable thanks to a bright, buoyant-as-always Reese Witherspoon, but the writing and direction are on auto-pilot. For a film that pretentiously begins in 2003 and ends in 2023, there's very little actual romance or comedy here that grabs your sustained attention. The film just plods along in a familiar "can best friends turn lovers?" setup, the payoff of which is so minuscule and very 2003-like. Sure, it's not a film you'd ditch half-way, yet it has nothing that warrants a revisit - as is the case with most Netflix "originals." Also, a film like this would have actually benefited from having Kutcher and Witherspoon in the same space (to hell with those split-screens) a lot longer than 5 minutes tops. Hands up if you think Witherspoon deserves a better-written, better-directed comeback film! 🙌

The main flaw is the lack of chemistry been the two main characters, as others have said. This is undeniably true. It's hard to see why they would be friends at all, let alone prospective lovers. But even so, the film is perfectly watchable - and I've sat through many far "better" films which I've enjoyed less.

The individual performances (I could happily watch Reece Witherspoon reading a telephone directory) are perfectly fine, and in a sense the movie is carried by its co-stars: Zoë Chao, Tig Notaro, Steve Zahn, Griffin Matthews. And there's a lot of fun to be had. The film also portrays very clean, orderly, almost antiseptic New York and Los Angeles which border on surreal.

This film is like an after dinner coffee and chocolate; a relaxing, comfortable morsel but hardly main course stuff. I have no problems with easy watchable films, with a bit of humour thrown in. A "great film" it ain't; a pleasant way of whiling away an hour and a half it very much is.

I really wanted to like this movie as I am a fan of Reese Witherspoon and love her work. Normally. However watching it I asked myself what happened to her acting (mediocre and so not up to par with her other work), whatever happened to Ashton Kutcher's face, and whatever happened to their chemistry (virtually nonexistent). It's fine as light entertainment for an evening in when you're sick, but unfortunately not what I expected. I'm puzzled.

The story is kind of foreseeable, the characters a little shallow. The best performance is by Steve Kirsch (in a minor role) who was the only one getting a giggle out of me.

I like Witherspoons work so much that I almost feel guilty for being disappointed, but there you go...