Aline Brosh McKenna Drew Major Inspiration From A Real-Life Relationship For Your Place Or Mine
In cinema, it can be said that there is no more pleasing genre than romantic comedy when it comes to simply making filmgoers smile (via Vox). Rom-coms typically find a way to make embarrassing or difficult relationship issues humorous without losing sight of the struggles many people face when navigating a new romance. Female screenwriters such as Nora Ephron and Nancy Myers have achieved this balancing act, with others such as Elaine May ditching romance to focus on biting comedy. Writer/director Aline Brosh McKenna has been crafting feature films in both of these styles for over 20 years, with 2006's "The Devil Wears Prada" becoming an enduring cult classic.
McKenna also co-created and wrote several episodes of the underrated "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," which ran on The CW from 2015-2019. The screenwriter finally made her directorial debut with the upcoming Netflix movie "Your Place or Mine," which will star rom-com veterans Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher in the leading roles. As an original screenplay, Aline Brosh McKenna has also shared how she drew inspiration from a real-life relationship when writing the film. Here are the details.
Aline Brosh McKenna says Your Place or Mine is about how friendship can develop after a brief encounter
In an interview with People, Aline Brosh McKenna revealed that the plot of "Your Place or Mine" is based on an experience she had in her own life. The screenwriter offered some telling clues as to the source material by stating the film is "about two people who've been friends for 25 years since the night they hooked up just once." This is portrayed in the present with Debbie (Reese Witherspoon) and Peter (Ashton Kutcher) trading places with one another in their daily lives for seven days to gain a better perspective on the other.
McKenna continued by adding, "It's about love and getting out of your own way to find love and having the courage to take the leap to find it, and it's meant to be written about people who have lived some and know who they are." She concluded by sharing how the mutual understanding the duo will gain from seeing how the other lives will be significant to their years-long friendship. The newfound director also praised her two main actors by praising the qualities that made both suitable for their parts. Of Witherspoon, she highlighted the "Sweet Home Alabama" star as simply "one of the best ever" and praised Kutcher's ability to not feel or show intimidation with such a powerful female co-star.
"Your Place or Mine" premieres February 10, 2023 on Netflix.