The Ending Of Netflix's Your Place Or Mine Explained
Netflix is cueing up an original rom-com in time for Valentine's Day with "27 Dresses" writer Aline Brosh McKenna's directorial debut "Your Place or Mine." The film follows Peter (Ashton Kutcher) and Debbie (Reese Witherspoon), two longtime friends who lead vastly different lives. Debbie is in constant "mom mode," worried about her son Jack's (Wesley Kimmel) well-being, while Peter lives the life of a wealthy bachelor in New York City. After Debbie's trip to NYC to earn a degree is put in peril when no one is able to watch Jack, Peter decides that they should switch places. The new environments not only take both of them out of their comfort zones but also finds them dealing with new growth and perspectives that force them to confront their feelings towards each other.
Kutcher and Witherspoon are quite a rom-com pairing and they're surrounded by an equally talented comedic cast, including Tig Notaro and Steve Zahn. The film is fitting for rom-com lovers looking for something to watch on Valentine's Day and has some pretty noteworthy turns and realizations with its two central characters. Peter and Debbie make some solid discoveries about themselves and own up to the feelings they've kept hidden about each other. It leads to a sweet finale between them that sees them telling each other how they really feel. So, let's delve into everything that happens in the final moments of "Your Place or Mine" and find out where things are left off for Peter and Debbie.
A life-changing experience
Peter heading to Los Angeles to take care of Jack while Debbie heads to New York to further her career has a surprising impact on each of them. At first, Peter is mostly shown as an uncaring bachelor who has short-term relationships that generally come to an end when the question "so, what happens next" is posed to him. There's a noticeable change in him though when he comes to LA to stay with Jack. For the first time, he tries to be a real parent and mentor for Jack. Rather than use his massive wealth and ego to move past problems, he learns to actually find more meaningful ways to support Jack and think like an adult.
As for Debbie, her time in New York sees her start to do things for herself instead of just being a full-time mom. Not only is Debbie able to get her degree, but she's also able to start a whirlwind relationship with Theo (Jesse Williams). For once, she can have moments of self-improvement and take chances in her life. Through her budding relationship with Theo, she even sees that she can have greater professional opportunities given to her and can become the editor she wants to be. So, although Peter and Debbie are their usual selves at the start of their switch, they gain life-changing perspectives that ultimately lead them to become closer.
A loving bond
Peter is shown to be a little out of his depth with Jack — or really kids at all — when he first comes to LA. His attempts to give Jack nicknames and bond with him using outdated one-liners are painfully awkward and you wonder if their time together is ever going to improve. However, after Peter finds an army of sticky note instructions waiting for him and Jack back at the house, he realizes that Jack needs a different, less controlled lifestyle. Debbie has kept him so under the microscope that he's struggled to branch out and make friends, and Peter feels that he can help him.
Peter's initial attempts fail as he just tries to use his wealth to make Jack feel confident rather than spend worthwhile time supporting him. But when he learns that Jack really wants to play hockey — much to the dismay of his mother — Peter actively roots him. Peter sitting in the stands while Jack tears it up on the ice is truly like a proud dad watching his son play sports and it has a big impact on both of them. Although things start on an awkward note for Jack and Peter, they grow much closer with their time together and have a sweet father-son-like bond by the end.
Peter's inner feelings
After seeing Debbie and Theo hook up on his camera and failing to find some one-night company at a bar, Peter comes to the realization that he wants something different than meaningless hook-ups. In a scene of him spilling to Alicia (Tig Notaro) about his undisclosed feelings, he talks about how much Debbie has always meant to him. Regardless of how much he's been a jerk or gotten in his own way over the years, she's always stood by his side. Even when Peter had to be picked up at rehab for the second time or when his dad died, Debbie always made a genuine effort for him.
Peter then talks about their one-night hook-up from the opening scene and delves into his perspective on the night. Although Peter left in a hurry the following morning and showed no interest in pursuing anything more with Debbie, he still harbored feelings for her. He found himself thinking about her for days, but before he could act on his feelings, she was already with Jimmy the climbing guy. Throughout the years, Peter found himself wanting to tell Debbie how he felt, but never found the right moment to do so. Now though — with this newfound clarity — he might finally be ready to make a move.
Peter's little secret
While living in Peter's swanky apartment, Debbie comes across one of Peter's old flames, Minka (Zoe Chao). One night after they come back from meeting Theo, Minka mentions that Peter wrote a book and Debbie doesn't believe her. In her mind, they tell each other everything, but it turns out that Minka is right. There's a secret manuscript that Peter has for a book he's supposedly been writing for years. It comes as a big shock to Debbie but ends up being the thing that makes Debbie closer to Theo since she poses as an editor so it can get published. However, that's not the only surprising secret that Peter has.
Upon searching through his apartment, Debbie comes across another mysterious folder but doesn't find a book inside this time. Instead, she finds a bunch of mementos from their time together. There are tons of photos of them laughing and smiling as well as a poker chip from their fateful first night together. Debbie mentions that Peter isn't the type for keepsakes like this so it makes her wonder if he has stronger feelings for her, and she starts to wonder if she has feelings for him too.
Jack approves of Peter
As Jack and Peter head to hockey tryouts to see if Jack can make the team, they have an interesting conversation in Peter's car. Jack hits Peter with the old "so, what happens next" line and says that the three of them make a great team and that they should somehow work out a way to just have all of them live together. Jack doesn't specifically say that Peter and his mom should start dating or anything, but there's likely a part of him that knows they have feelings for each other.
With this moment coming not too long after Peter spilled his heart out about Debbie, it's a meaningful sense of approval for Peter and that smile plastered all over his face is immensely heartwarming. Peter has really made an impact on Jack — possibly even more than his own father — and it's a big reason that he's grown so close to him over the last couple of days. It's a sweet and sincere gesture that leads perfectly into the film's final act full of heart and warmth.
Does Debbie feel the same way?
After Debbie finds Peter's secret folder of their good times together, her head is a mess about the whole thing. She feels like she's seeing this side of Peter she's never seen before and is even questioning her own feelings for him. Now that Debbie has seen that Peter maybe did care for her on a deeper level, her old feelings of love for him are being resurrected and that doesn't necessarily sit well with her.
It's not to say that she is against the idea but rather conflicted. She's left almost breathless by the discovery and quickly falls into denial when Minka confronts her about her feelings. However, there's a part of her that clearly feels the same way. As she goes through every excuse for why they wouldn't work, it's hard not to see more reasons why they would. In some ways, it's here where the sense of balance they bring to each other is obvious and it definitely gets Debbie's wheels turning about whether there's something real that could form between her and Peter after all.
Making the team
When Jack first heads onto the ice, Peter and the audience are left a little unsure how he'll do since it's something new to him. Oddly enough though, Jack ends up being a total natural and even starts scoring goals left and right. Peter legitimately couldn't be happier and acts like a true proud father in the bleachers. When tryouts eventually come around, there's a sense of confidence that Jack will be skillful enough to make the team and possibly be one of the best players.
As he first hits the ice, it seems like his dreams of making the team are going to be fulfilled as he quickly scores a goal. However, he's eventually thrown into the wall, leading him to be taken to the hospital. The injury isn't anything too serious — possibly just a light concussion — but it's enough to keep him in the hospital overnight and make Debbie completely panicked. Yet, it's eventually said that Jack still made the team so despite a quick injury, his skills still landed him a spot. This marks another important step in Peter and Jack's relationship, as it was Peter who encouraged him to follow his dreams and despite the setback, it pays off. Learning to overcome trials and keep pushing is an important lesson for a child to learn and it demonstrates Peter's potential as a father figure for Jack and a partner for Debbie — despite some of their parenting differences.
Theo's proposal
Before Debbie can fly back to LA, she's asked on one more dinner date with Theo for a "proposal" he has for her. The word "proposal" in a rom-com instantly makes viewers think that Theo is about to pull a ring out and ask Debbie to marry him, but instead, Theo's proposal is a mix of professional and personal.
The first part of Theo's proposal is that he's found an editor job for Debbie to take that'll make her dreams come true. The other thing that Theo asks Debbie is if she wants to see if their relationship could be something more. With her currently wrestling with her lingering feelings for Peter, it's a tough moment for her. She's on the brink of having her biggest dreams come to life and it's understandably a little overwhelming for her. Debbie is left with a big decision that sees her make an unexpected choice.
Debbie's choice for Theo
With Theo basically offering Debbie her dream job and the chance for them to develop their relationship, it's tough to imagine that she'll pass it up — yet, she does. Debbie thanks Theo for believing in her and for the time they've spent together, but admits that she has feelings for someone else. Given the instant sparks Debbie and Theo had when they first met, it feels like a crushing blow and Theo's disappointed look says it all.
If Debbie hadn't come across Peter's tokens of their relationship, maybe things would've been different. However, it's left a big mark on Debbie and makes her wonder if she's in love with him too. Theo's a great guy, even Debbie says so, but it's no match for her feelings for Peter possibly leading to something special between them. Also, after hearing that Jack was put in the hospital, Debbie is pretty much halfway home in her mind so staying behind for Theo wouldn't have been an option.
Arguments in the airport
Debbie is fuming about Peter keeping secrets from her and hearing that Jack is in the hospital because Peter let him play hockey. She's ignoring his phone calls and is visibly angry over everything that's happened. She even tells Peter to leave her place and just go home — which he does leading them to bump into each other at the airport. This leads to a hilarious argument between them while they're on moving walkways and some heated words are exchanged.
Peter tells Debbie that she's too controlling as a parent while Debbie says that Peter is the kind of crummy person he's always thought himself to be. While the situation is comical, the argument is pretty brutal and you may start to wonder if these two will actually end up together or not. In no time though, Peter and Debbie come face to face to talk about their feelings and it finally leads to something. Peter tells Debbie that he's madly in love with her and although Debbie fights some of her feelings for Peter, they're too strong to ignore. Eventually, they're kissing in the middle of the airport and their arguing turns into a full-blown romance blossoming.
Happily ever after?
So, what happens next for Debbie and Peter after they cement their love with a kiss? Well, through some on-screen text in the film's final moments, it seems like they're able to stay together. There's a scene of Jack, Peter, and Debbie living together in Debbie's house in LA just like Jack wanted and they all seem truly happy together. There's even an added joke that while things may not be exactly "happily ever after" since relationships have their obstacles, they all seem happy together.
There's no real resolution shown for the other characters, but for the film's central couple, they're given the happy ending they always wanted for themselves. Peter and Debbie no longer need to hide their feelings for each other and they can bring a real balance to their lives that makes for a dysfunctional, but fulfilling family. It's easily the best thing for Jack too, who now feels a new sense of support with Peter around, and leaves the film on a more sweet-feeling note.
Could there be a sequel?
At the moment, there's no word on a sequel to "Your Place or Mine" being in development and truthfully, Netflix doesn't give most of its original movies sequels unless they show big franchise potential. While reception to the film has been pretty lukewarm (via Metacritic) so far, there's still a chance to see more of Peter and Debbie's story. A sequel following their continuing relationship is definitely possible and maybe things can change as Jack gets older or Debbie's husband Jimmy comes around more. There could even be a spinoff film following characters like Theo and Minka during their endeavors.
Some Netflix rom-coms have received sequels, and if it proves to be popular with viewers, "Your Place or Mine" could follow in the same footsteps as films like "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" and "The Kissing Booth" to become franchises for the streaming platform. So, those that are hoping that there could be more for the characters of "Your Place or Mine" shouldn't give up hope just yet.