That’s the premise of Joel Lamangan’s latest mainstream outing, which is based on yet another Wattpad series of the same title. The flick, billed as a sexy rom-com, stars Andi Eigenmann and Bret Jackson as the outlandish couple Haley and Russell.
Andi Eignemann is the girl who wants to keep her
virginity in Your Place or Mine,
Bret Jackson is they guy who thinks Andi is the perfect
one-night stand.
The movie starts with Haley having the “what did I do last night” episode waking up naked on someone else’s bed with a vague recollection of what happened the night before. In time of her getting dressed a half-naked Russell comes out of the bathroom. Shocked, Haley rushed outside Russell’s apartment and heads home.
On the same day, the two bump into each other at school and finally exchanged names. They also recall what really happened why Haley ended up in Russell’s place. A few meetings more and the two finally find comfortable at each other’s company.
As the story progresses, Haley is caught in a dilemma. She’s beginning to like Russell when her mother (played by Jackie Lou Blanco) forces her into what they call a practical marriage (arranged marriage in other words) simply to keep the money in the family. Apparently, her father died leaving them with a billion-peso debt. The family of her husband-to-be is more than willing to pay for this debt if Haley agrees to marry of one the sons. Left with no choice, as the story suggests, Haley agrees to fulfill her father’s death wish only to find out that Russell is also the guy she is about to marry.
In most rom-com, this could have been the end of the story. It’s the tested formula to guarantee audiences’ satisfaction. But in Your Place or Mine’s case, this is just the first half of the story. You see, the climax came too early for some. Now, the story tries to sustain the audience’s by adding unnecessary third wheel angles, which can be removed and the plot will still flow just fine. Thus, the inclusion of Ashley Rivera and Andre Paras is nothing but an additional embellishment to the film’s line up of pretty faces.
The film’s first 30 minutes is just fine but the next hour is boring and predictable. And the revelation in Russell’s life is totally forgettable.
But of course, they are just following the chapters in the insipid Wattpad series in chronological order. And that’s the huge challenge. All other Wattpad series turned into a feature film endeavored to remain faithful to the original material without scattering the story with a bit of creativity.
In the book, Haley is described as a teenage student who wanted to keep her virginity until marriage. Obviously, that didn’t happen when she had a one-night stand with a total stranger whom she met at a bar after drinking one too many.
Given the film’s theme, this could have been a local version of Cruel Intention. It could have been a palatable tale of young privileged people living in upscale city mansions. But it lacks the long seduction dance, the art of courtship that magnifies sexual attraction through a series of staring, lip biting and flirting. You don’t get that in the film and your imagination will not be tickled compared to reading the series online. Everything is done in haste as if it is just a long casual sex where both parties just wanted to release their heat so they could go home.
It’s also difficult to determine whether the movie is a drama or comedy. It’s hard to force yourself to laugh at jokes that aren’t spot on or empathize with an actor that shows no emotion even the situation already calls for it. None of the stars displays memorable acting either. Not even Andi who is relatively a senior in acting department for having a few acting projects under her belt.
Hence if you decided to see the movie just to know what really happens in Russell or Haley’s place, you’d just get disappointed. Nothing is interesting in this film adaptation, including the sex that it blandly tries to sell.