Early on in the new romantic comedy Your Place or Mine, Peter (Ashton Kutcher) gets dumped. “Aaaand, she took the car,” he laments, curbside. Look on the bright side, Ashton: She can take the car, but she’ll never take the Cars. 

If Peter has one true love in Aline Brosh McKenna’s new film, it’s [ 🤐 SPOILER ALERT 🤐] Reese Witherspoon’s Debbie. But if he has a second, it’s the Cars, the ’80s new wave band led by Ric Ocasek. The man has good taste. And he’s not alone — in the 45 years since the group’s hit debut album, they’ve sold more than 23 million albums in the US, with 13 Top 40 singles and  six Grammy nominations. And now, they might just be having another moment thanks to Your Place or Mine, which features multiple tracks by the Boston band, including “Bye Bye Love,” “Magic,” “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight” and “Heartbeat City.” 

The Cars' self-titled debut album.

For writer-director McKenna, Peter’s passion (bordering on obsession) for the Cars is a crucial character detail. “There are studies to show that people kind of get frozen in their musical taste at a certain age, that it's really hard to keep your mind open to new kinds of music,” McKenna tells Tudum. “So I think we're all kind of stuck. It's sort of a question of [at] what age you get stuck.” 

Peter’s single-minded love for the group was written into McKenna’s screenplay from day one. “I scripted every second of it and every lyric,” she says. “The Cars' music worked incredibly well, lyrically, almost uncannily well, but really what that comes from is, I've known a lot of guys where they have one band that's like their band.” 

Peter (Ashton Kutcher) and Jack (Wesley Kimmel) share a moment with the Cars.

Erin Simkin / Netflix

Peter’s Cars sweet tooth also has an in-film origin story, courtesy of his family history. “You know much about the Cars?” he asks Debbie’s son, Jack, during a mid-babysitting joyride. He then proceeds to fill the grade-schooler in on his own personal relationship with the band: his bond with his Cars-loving dad, his detachment from the group’s music after his father passed away — and years later, his resurrected love for Ric O. and co.. “Their songs were still with me, even if he wasn’t,” Peter tells Jack. “And they always will be.”

It’s a nice story, but it’s also a bit of foreshadowing for the things that will eventually arise in Peter and Debbie’s relationship. “It shows that he's still dealing in a way with some of the issues that he hasn't resolved from his own upbringing,” McKenna says. But then again… “You Might Think” is a bop, right? “And then it's just also so fun and so cinematic,” McKenna concedes. I guess you could say: It’s just what we needed. 

Your Place or Mine is streaming on Netflix now. You can check out the film’s soundtrack below

Your Place or Mine Soundtrack: Full Song List

"The Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani & Akon 

"Let's Go" - The Cars 

"Bye Bye Love" - The Cars

"Good Times Roll" - The Cars 

"Magic" - The Cars 

"Just What I Needed" - The Cars 

"Shake It Up" - The Cars 

"Liz" - Remi Wolf 

"Right Time" - The Minitel 

"Embers" - Tiny Habits 

"Feel The Way I Want" - Caroline Rose 

"Sick!" - Anna Shoemaker 

“Remind Me” - Emily King 

"nothing else i could do" - ella jane 

"Back Pocket" - Vulfpeck 

"Heartbeat City" - The Cars 

"Light On" - Maggie Rogers

"Debbie" - Your Smith 

"Drive" - The Cars 

"Animal Spirits" - Vulfpeck "

"You're All I've Got Tonight" - The Cars 

"You Might Think" - The Cars 

"Embers (Acoustic)" - Tiny Habits 

Additional reporting by Anne Cohen.

Every Reese and Ashton Phone Call in Your Place or MineWhen it comes to romance, Peter and Debbie aren’t afraid to phone it in.