It’s officially Rom-Com Season!  YOUR PLACE OR MINE is the directorial debut of Producer/Writer and now Director Aline Brosh McKenna. The Film coming soon to Netflix, centers on two long-time best friends Debbie (Reese Witherspoon) and Peter (Ashton Kutcher) who live on different coasts, swapping houses for a week, only to realize exactly what’s missing in each of their lives.

So wonderful getting a chance to join a global press conference with the Cast and Creators of YOUR PLACE OR MINE. Joining us were:

• Reese Witherspoon – Debbie
• Ashton Kutcher – Peter
• Zoë Chao – Minka
• Jesse Williams – Theo
• Wesley Kimmel – Jack
• Aline Brosh McKenna (Director / Writer / Producer)

Brosh McKenna who wrote the Screenplay for THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, walks us through the inspiration behind the story and how it’s very personal to her.

Brosh McKenna: “I was taken with the story, as it’s based on personal experience. I wanted to do Romantic-Comedy for people who’ve been through something in their lives and accumulated some life experience. If felt very personal to me through the process and it was an idea I had for a long time and when it came to fruition, it felt very personal. And I like to work with unknowns. I’m looking to discover people as you can see from the Cast. Just kidding.”.

Witherspoon’s character Debbie loves books and dreams of becoming an Editor and comments whether the role was tailored to her since she has attachments to the literary world, namely Reese’s Book Club.

Witherspoon: “I never read a book, it’s not on brand at all. I was like, will people know that I like to read and Aline’s like, ‘I think you can do this. I think you can make them believe!’”.

“Aline also sent me 25 books, which I never read.  I called her and told her I had three children. But they did look very good on the set.”.

Kutcher talks about taking the role of Peter, who though is a bit of a man-child, is a grown-up.

Kutcher: “I’ve played grown-ups before. But it was very much about the hair. Aline felt he had a particular hairstyle he absolutely had to have and she used the word ‘grown-up’ a lot. ‘I want you to have grown-up hair’. And I was like, this hair is old, it’s 45-years-old. It’s the same age as me!   But it was  juxtaposition to the allover the place of Debbie. That was fun to play, this person who had this meticulous everything needed to be in its place. The other great thing, I’m not a big Fiction reader, but this character is a novelist, well read in fiction. So I ended-up diving-in. Aline sent me, I think ten books to read prior to the Film. ‘You need to read all of these, without cards in them specifically, what Peter got from them as a Writer. My fave was “Where Breath Becomes Air” and that was devastatingly-wonderful. High Fidelity was very good. I read every single one of them.”.

“The one about the kids catching on fire all the time – Nothing to see Here – that one was fantastic. I actually fell in love with reading Fiction again from this experience. That was fun and refreshing.”.

Witherspoon tells us that she actually didn’t know Kutcher very well until only a little before filming. Much of their scenes are done via split-screen.

Witherspoon: “It was a month before shooting and I had a bit of a panic attack because we didn’t know each other. I think we had fully met once at a party and I thought he was quirky. I don’t know this guy and we’re supposed to be best friends for 20 years, so we started sending each other videos every day.”.  

Kutcher: “Every day we’d send videos. How’s your day? What’s going on? What are you afraid of? I you had pancakes, would it be syrup? Who’s your best friend and why?”.

Witherspoon: “It was actually kind of fun. Our kids would get in the videos, our dogs, he met my dog on video!”.

Kutcher: “By the time we shooting it, we were used to communicating this way, so it felt really natural to communicate that way.”.

Witherspoon: “We should put together a compilation of all these videos.”.

Kutcher: “When we’re in a scene together, we’re very improvy but given the way this was done, one side of coverage was done before the other person began to shoot their side of coverage. We were acting against a video and choices they had made. You couldn’t’ make a choice that would dictate the choice they  had already made. None of that affecting the other the way the person reacts to the thing you said.”.

Williams talks about his experience having used to be an English Teacher, but playing a Literary Editor here.

Williams: “I am an avid reader and used to read a lot of Fiction, but became obsessed with Non-Fiction for the last 10-15 years, but am returning to that. I love books. Books changed my life, particularly in high school.  During this process, Aline got me a vintage signed copy of one of my favourite books, Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. Books are a transformative mark in my life at a fork in the road where my life could have gone very differently.”.

He comments whether or not he had to soften his character at all to help make Peter more of a contender to win Debbie’s heart.

Williams: “I don’t think so, because I think early on, I realize it’s not really about Theo, it’s about what’s true for Debbie and that’s one of the lessons – she surrounds herself with people who want what’s best for her to pull her forward.”.

Zhao talks about her character Minka who doesn’t read books, but reads people. Though she’s Debbie’s guide to New York City in the Movie, she confesses in real life she relies on Google Maps.

Zhao: “I fell in love with Minka as soon as I read the Script. Aline had made such a surprising loveable weirdo on page. Sophie De Rakoff (Costume Designer, LEGALLY BLONDE) brought all these amazing clothes and boom, character was there. I love Minka because though you don’t know what she does, there’s a very calculated mystique about her. She’s not a sinister person, she’s actually very positive. And I think the ultimate hypewoman and wingwoman that you need in this life. I love that she’s full of contradictions.”.

Kimmel plays Witherspoon’s son Jack in a breakout role and reveals that his role actually wasn’t a huge stretch, considering how similar his character was to him in real life – especially his love for Hockey. His character spends a lot of time with Kutcher’s Peter who looks after him while Debbie swaps places with Peter.

Kimmel: “It was always a part of the Script. I had started learning how to skate actually on Hockey skates. I never got to play actual games, but I always skated in the summer. I had some lessons leading up to the shoot but it was not super-new.”.

Kutcher: “He’s downplaying it. He goes and looks like he’s been playing full scale Hockey his whole life!”.

Kimmel: “When we were reading sides over in first audition, I looked up to my mom and said ‘This is literally me!’. We had the same issues, qualities and allergies even. And it was easy to be natural in the audition, which is crazy.”.

Netflix Canada release YOUR PLACE OR MINE February 10, 2023.

Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher team-up for Rom-Com YOUR PLACE OR MINE. Here’s a first look at the brand-new Trailer!

LOGLINE:
Debbie and Peter are best friends and total opposites. She craves routine with her son in LA; he thrives on change in NY. When they swap houses and lives for a week they discover what they think they want might not be what they really need.

YOUR PLACE OR MINE arrives February 10, 2023 on Netflix.

(Photo credit: Netflix)

By Justin Waldman

The first season of the AppleTV+‘s The Morning Show took audiences on through what very closely mirrored the #MeToo movement, exposing how someone so loved by America, Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell) could be exposed of misconduct, its consequences, all packed with several unpredictable twists. The second season of The Morning Show is before us, once again relevantly mirroring our reality today.

In the first two episodes of Season 2, we meet our charismatic new Hosts of The Morning Show, Bradley (Reese Witherspoon) and Eric (Hasan Minhaj) hosting the 2019 New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square. They even do a musical number. Audience members know exactly what is about to unfold, as a global pandemic is about to impact the world, but the characters are rather oblivious to these events. As well, there are some internal tensions as Eric is about to replace another disgraced News Reporter, leaving behind Bradley on The Morning Show, thereby taking a job she desperately wanted.

With the plummeting ratings for network UBA, plus Bradley not exactly winning over audience members like Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) had, Cory (Billy Crudup) is now stuck at an impasse. He needs a ratings boost as his job literally depends on it, and after their on-screen revelation, and Alex’s departure, we wonder if he can convince the only person (Alex) who can save his career to return to The Morning Show?

Somehow, by nothing short of a miracle, Cory manages to convince Alex to come back until a full-time replacement can be found for Eric. This is rather shocking for Bradley as she does not want to share the spotlight anymore with Alex, as she was promised to be the Anchor. She also was promised the coveted Evening News opportunity that was given to Eric. Through all the betrayal and tension, can The Morning Show be saved, or will there be more drama within UBA?

The second season of The Morning Show manages to balance well real world issues and stories, with pure binge-worthy entertainment. As well, the performances by the entire Ensemble, but namely Witherspoon and Aniston, are nothing short of sensational. We already have a feeling The Morning Show Season 2 is packed with explosive revelations and feuds.

THE MORNING SHOW Season 2 streams only on Apple TV+, new episodes arriving at 3 AM ET.

We thoroughly enjoyed THE MORNING SHOW and are thrilled that S2 is just around the corner! Check-out this brand new Trailer which sees Steve Carell, Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon reprising their roles in the Series.

Synopsis:

Picking up after the explosive events of season one, season two finds the Morning Show team emerging from the wreckage of Alex (Aniston) and Bradley’s (Witherspoon) actions, to a new UBA and a world in flux, where identity is everything and the chasm between who we present as and who we really are comes into play. Along with Aniston and Witherspoon, the star-studded returning cast includes Steve Carell, Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Bel Powley, Desean Terry, Janina Gavankar, Tom Irwin and Marcia Gay Harden.  Joining the cast for season two are Greta Lee as ‘Stella Bak,’ a tech world wunderkind who has joined the UBA executive team; Ruairi O’Connor as ‘Ty Fitzgerald,’ a smart and charismatic YouTube star; Hasan Minhaj as ‘Eric Nomani,’ a new member of the Morning Show team; Emmy Award-winner Holland Taylor as ‘Cybil Richards,’ the savvy chairwoman of the UBA board; Tara Karsian as ‘Gayle Berman,’ a news producer; Valeria Golino as ‘Paola Lambruschini,’ a documentary filmmaker; and, Emmy and SAG Award-winner Julianna Margulies as ‘ Laura Peterson,’ a UBA news anchor. 

THE MORNING SHOW S2 arrives September 17, 2021.

(Photo/video credit: Apple TV+)

Bend & Snaps! Our friends at Hollywood Suite enlisted our help crafting a yummy Legally Blonde-inspired creation as part of their Reel Meals Series. We’re so thrilled to hear Mindy Kaling will be co-writing Legally Blonde 3, one of our favourite underdog stories of all time! How timely, especially since Legally Blonde will be premiering on Hollywood Suite June 28, 2020? Be sure to check-out their Blog for more movie-inspired delectables on their Blog here.

While cookies aren’t technically a meal, who doesn’t love a snack while watching a movie?

These ginger snaps not only are sinfully buttery and full of spicy sass, but they also can be dolled-up like Elle Woods would! We challenge you to break-out the sparkliest sprinkles and the hottest pink icing to pay tribute to one of our favourite on-screen heroines.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup Crisco Golden
3/4 cup organic raw sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
3 tbsps candied ginger, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Mix flour, spices, baking soda and salt together in one bowl.
2. Using handmixer, cream butter, shortening and 1/2 cup sugar. Add egg and vanilla, beating till creamy.
3. Add molasses and mix till combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
4. Add flour mixture bit by bit with handmixer on low, combining fully.
5. Disperse candied ginger throughout cookie dough using hands. Shape dough into a ball, cover and refrigerate for minimum 1 hour.
6. Using food processor, take 1/4 cup sugar and grind for about a minute. Pour sugar in a shallow platter.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F.
8. After chilled, allow dough to stand room temperature till pliable (about 15 or more minutes). Roll dough into equal-sized balls.
9. Dip dough balls into sugar and place on parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Dough should yield 20-24 cookies.
10. Bake 13-15 minutes depending how firm you want the cookie. When you see crinkles form, this means the cookies are done. Remove from oven.
11. Cool on sheet for about 20-30 minutes. Once fully cooled after minimum 1 hour, you may start dressing the cookies with icing and favourite Legally Blonde phrases and words like “Elle“, “Bruiser” and of course, “Bend” and “Snap“!  These are fine in the fridge for a week or more.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong/Hollywood Suite)

Reese Witherspoon x Kerry Washington team-up to give us LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, coming soon to Amazon Prime Video!

Synopsis:
Based on Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestseller, Little Fires Everywhere follows the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. The story explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger in believing that following the rules can avert disaster. Staring Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Jade Pettyjohn, Lexi Underwood, Jordan Elsass, Gavin Lewis and Megan Stott.

See the Trailer:

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE streams Friday, May 22, 2020 on Amazon Prime Video.

(Photo/video credit: Amazon Prime Video)

We’ve waited so long for this! HBO unveiled a Teaser for Season 2 of BIG LITTLE LIES.

See the Teaser:

HBO Canada premiere Season Two of BIG LITTLE LIES Sunday, June 9, 2019.

(Photo/video credit: HBO)

Another goodie unveiled at Disney‘s D23 Expo this weekend as Ava DuVernay (Selma)‘s A WRINKLE IN TIME‘s Teaser Trailer was shown for the first time!

A WRINKLE IN TIME is an epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless classic which takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light and ultimately, the triumph of love. The Film stars: Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Peňa, Levi Miller, Deric McCabe, André Holland, Rowan Blanchard with Zach Galifianakis and Chris Pine and introduces Storm Reid.

See the Teaser:

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada release A WRINKLE IN TIME Friday, March 9, 2018.

(Photo/video credit: Disney)

We admit a month ago having known v. little about HBO‘s new series BIG LITTLE LIES, based on the novel by Liane Moriarty. Since discovering it though, we’re helplessly hooked. We have previewed the first six of seven episodes and cruelly were left hanging at the end of it.  It consumed us fully this weekend and it’s been on our mind all day.

The seven-part series follows the lives of three mothers in Monterey, California as they cope with family-life balance, each facing their own unique demons. We have Madeline (Reese Witherspoon), a well-to-do stay at home mom of two, invested in a local theatre production of Avenue Q much to the disapproval of the local mayor and conservative locals. Celeste (Nicole Kidman), a lawyer-on-hiatus, has a seemingly-perfect life too with twin boys, a gorgeous house and a handsome husband in Perry (Alex Skarsgård).  Enter to the picture, mysterious single mother Jane (Shailene Woodley) and her son who are new to the area, drawn to its affordable private school education at a public school cost.  Things begin to unravel one day at school when Jane’s son Ziggy (Iain Armitage) is accused of hurting Renata’s (Laura Dern) daughter Anabella (Ivy George). This ignites what becomes a rampant fire as we see these mothers go to all costs to protect their children. Passions flare as Celeste and Madeline rally to support their new friend Jane and the consequences are well, fatal.  As the story unfolds we get eyewitness accounts, some less reliable than others, and we learn the deep, dark secrets each of our three leading women are harbouring, leading them together to where they are today. Who dies?  Why? Who did it?  How?  We have so many questions.

Canada’s very own Jean-Marc Vallée does a phenomenal job at the reins here and while BIG LITTLE LIES at times is a bit of a meditative slow-burn, we nonetheless are invested every step of the way.  Our characters are richly-developed, complex, aware, intelligent and multi-dimensional. Nothing is ever just black or white with them, there is a rather large, beautifully-messy gray area. Domestic violence, consent, sexuality, infidelity are just some of the meaty matters the series examines with great depth and it leaves us with plenty to think about.

Although Witherspoon’s brand has become synonymous with being Elle Woods and Rom-Coms like Sweet Home Alabama, we really love her pairing with Vallée which as we saw in Oscar-nominated WILD, has given her a real opportunity to shine as a dramatic force. Kidman seldom disappoints and she has shown that when she is in full-control of her output (remember the outstanding Rabbit Hole?), as she is here serving with Witherspoon as Executive Producers, she is devastatingly good. We also really enjoy Woodley’s work as Jane, careful never to give too much away about her character as one of the story’s most fascinating aspects. And we love Laura Dern in a performance that is worthy of top-billing, as a woman on fire in the deeply-angry Renata.

See a Tease:

HBO Canada airs BIG LITTLE LIES Sunday, February 19, 2017 at 9 PM EST.

More here.

(Photo/video credit: HBO)

Universal Pictures Canada + Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win Advance Passes to see SING! The Animated Feature with an all-star cast was a huge hit at TIFF ’16! Screenings take place in the following cities:

Toronto 12/19 7:00 PM Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Montreal 12/19 7:00 PM Cineplex Forum Montreal
Edmonton 12/19 7:00 PM Cineplex Odeon South Commons
Vancouver 12/19 7:00 PM Cineplex International Village
Calgary 12/19 7:00 PM Cineplex Odeon Sunridge Spectrum
Ottawa 12/19 7:00 PM Cineplex Cinemas Ottawa
Winnipeg 12/19 7:00 PM Silvercity St. Vital

Synopsis:
Set in a world like ours but entirely inhabited by animals, Sing stars Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey), a dapper koala who presides over a once-grand theater that has fallen on hard times. Buster is an eternal—some might even say delusional—optimist who loves his theater above all and will do anything to preserve it. Now faced with the crumbling of his life’s ambition, he has one final chance to restore his fading jewel to its former glory by producing the world’s greatest singing competition.

Five lead contestants emerge: Mike (Seth MacFarlane), a mouse who croons as smoothly as he cons; Meena (Tori Kelly), a timid teenage elephant with an enormous case of stage fright; Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), an overtaxed mother run ragged tending a litter of 25 piglets; Johnny (Taron Egerton), a young gangster gorilla looking to break free of his family’s felonies; and Ash (Scarlett Johansson), a punk-rock porcupine struggling to shed her arrogant boyfriend and go solo.

Each arrives under Buster’s marquee believing that this is their shot to change the course of their life. And as Buster coaches each of his contestants closer and closer to the grand finale, he starts to learn that maybe the theater isn’t the only thing that is in need of saving.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, simply click “like” on this Post over at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK, indicate your City and tell us if you were to enter a singing competition, what would your song be?

Universal Pictures Canada release SING on Friday, December 21, 2016.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)